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Thinking outside the channel: modeling nitrogen cycling in networked river ecosystems
Author(s) -
Helton Ashley M,
Poole Geoffrey C,
Meyer Judy L,
Wollheim Wilfred M,
Peterson Bruce J,
Mulholland Patrick J,
Bernhardt Emily S,
Stanford Jack A,
Arango Clay,
Ashkenas Linda R,
Cooper Lee W,
Dodds Walter K,
Gregory Stanley V,
Hall Robert O,
Hamilton Stephen K,
Johnson Sherri L,
McDowell William H,
Potter Jody D,
Tank Jennifer L,
Thomas Suzanne M,
Valett H Maurice,
Webster Jackson R,
Zeglin Lydia
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/080211
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , biogeochemistry , environmental science , riparian zone , floodplain , ecosystem , aquatic ecosystem , nitrogen cycle , hydrology (agriculture) , channel (broadcasting) , ecology , computer science , nitrogen , habitat , geology , chemistry , biology , organic chemistry , computer network , geotechnical engineering
Agricultural and urban development alters nitrogen and other biogeochemical cycles in rivers worldwide. Because such biogeochemical processes cannot be measured empirically across whole river networks, simulation models are critical tools for understanding river‐network biogeochemistry. However, limitations inherent in current models restrict our ability to simulate biogeochemical dynamics among diverse river networks. We illustrate these limitations using a river‐network model to scale up in situ measures of nitrogen cycling in eight catchments spanning various geophysical and land‐use conditions. Our model results provide evidence that catchment characteristics typically excluded from models may control river‐network biogeochemistry. Based on our findings, we identify important components of a revised strategy for simulating biogeochemical dynamics in river networks, including approaches to modeling terrestrial–aquatic linkages, hydrologic exchanges between the channel, floodplain/riparian complex, and subsurface waters, and interactions between coupled biogeochemical cycles.