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Temperature Effects in Treatment Wetlands
Author(s) -
Kadlec Robert H.,
Reddy K.R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143001x139614
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , wetland , nitrification , nutrient cycle , environmental chemistry , denitrification , environmental science , nutrient , nitrogen cycle , phosphorus , pollutant , carbon cycle , mineralization (soil science) , nitrogen , dissolved organic carbon , eutrophication , chemistry , ecology , ecosystem , soil science , soil water , organic chemistry , biology
Several biogeochemical processes that regulate the removal of nutrients in wetlands are affected by temperature, thus influencing the overall treatment efficiency. In this paper, the effects of temperature on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling processes in treatment wetlands and their implications to water quality are discussed. Many environmental factors display annual cycles that mediate whole system performance. Water temperature is one of the important cyclic stimuli, but inlet flow rates and concentrations, and several features of the annual biogeochemical cycle, also can contribute to the observed patterns of nutrient and pollutant removal. Atmospheric influences, including rain, evapotranspiration, and water reaeration, also follow seasonal patterns. Processes regulating storages in wetlands are active throughout the year and can act as seasonal reservoirs of nutrients, carbon, and pollutants.
Many individual wetland processes, such as microbially mediated reactions, are affected by temperature. Response was much greater to changes at the lower end of the temperature scale (< 15 °C) than at the optimal range (20 to 35 °C). Processes regulating organic matter decomposition are affected by temperature. Similarly, all nitrogen cycling reactions (mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification) are affected by temperature. The temperature coefficient (θ) varied from 1.05 to 1.37 for carbon and nitrogen cycling processes during isolated conditions. Phosphorus sorption reactions are least affected by temperature, with θ values of 1.03 to 1.12. Physical processes involved in the removal of particulate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are not affected much by temperature.
In contrast, observed wetland removals may have different temperature dependence. Design models are over simplified because of limitations of data for calibration. The result of complex system behavior and the simple model is the need to interpret whole ecosystem data to determine temperature coefficients. Temperature seems to have minimal effect on biochemical oxygen demand (0.900 < θ < 1.015) and phosphorus (0.995 < θ < 1.020) removal, and more significant effect on nitrogen removal (0.988 < θ < 1.16). In colder climates, there may be seasonal slowdown of treatment, which can decrease the overall treatment efficiency of constructed wetlands.