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A new on-line analytical setup for 15N measurements of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) has been developed through the coupling of a high-temperature catalytic (Ce(IV)O2) oxidation furnace, a Cu reduction furnace, and an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The detection limit for accurate delta15N measurements is 20 mg of N L-1. For N-containing compounds dissolved in water, a standard deviation on N concentration measurements of 0.2 mg of N L-1, independent of N concentration, has been found. Reproducibility on delta15N increased with increasing N concentration, with standard deviations varying from 0.8 to 0.1 per thousand in the range of 20-100 mg of N L-1. Salt matrixes, in which the N species might be dissolved, could influence the analysis capacity and continuity, mainly at concentrations above 0.1 M. To our knowledge, this system is the first successful on-line setup capable of performing routine delta15N and N concentration measurements of the TDN pool. Potential applications are large and are believed to result in an increased insight in N cycling and dissolved organic nitrogen behavior in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Ammonia (NH(3)) emissions from animal systems have become a primary concern for all of livestock production. The purpose of this research was to establish the relationship of nitrogen (N) emissions to specific components of swine production systems and to determine accurate NH(3) emission factors appropriate for the regional climate, geography, and production systems. Micrometeorological instrumentation and gas sensors were placed over two lagoons in North Carolina during 1997-1999 to obtain information for determining ammonia emissions over extended periods and without interfering with the surrounding climate. Ammonia emissions varied diurnally and seasonally and were related to lagoon ammonium concentration, acidity, temperature, and wind turbulence. Conversion of significant quantities of ammonium NH(4)(+) to dinitrogen gas (N(2)) were measured in all lagoons with the emission rate largely dependent on NH(4)(+) concentration. Lagoon NH(4)(+) conversion to N(2) accounted for the largest loss component of the N entering the farm (43% as N(2)); however, small amounts of N(2)O were emitted from the lagoon (0.1%) and from field applications (0.05%) when effluent was applied nearby. In disagreement with previous and current estimates of NH(3) emissions from confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) systems, and invalidating current assumptions that most or all emissions are in the form of NH(3), we found much smaller NH(3) emissions from animal housing (7%), lagoons (8%), and fields (2%) using independent measurements of N transformation and transport. Nitrogen input and output in the production system were evaluated, and 95% of input N was accounted for as output N from the system.

A field trial was established in Errachidia, southern Morocco, to investigate the interaction between wheat residue management and mineral 15N-labelled ammonium sulphate, under different irrigation treatments, applied to wheat (Triticum durum var. Karim). In treatments I1, I2, I3 and I4, plots were irrigated every 10, 15, 21 and 30 days. Each plot contained three sub-plots that received three fertilization treatments: T1 received 42 kg N ha-1 of ammonium sulphate before seedling, 42 kg N ha-1 of ammonium sulphate labelled with 9.764 at % 15N excess at tillering and 84 N kg ha-1 of ammonium sulphate at flowering; T2 received 42 kg N ha-1 of ammonium sulphate labelled with 9.764 at % 15N excess at seedling, 42 kg N ha-1 at tillering and 42 kg N ha-1 at flowering; T3 received 4800 kg ha-1 of wheat residue labelled with 1.504 at % 15N excess and 42 kg N ha-1 of ammonium sulphate before seedling and 42 kg N ha-1 of ammonium sulphate at flowering. Nitrogen fertilization with 168 kg N ha-1 did no significantly increase grain and straw yields in comparison to the 126 kg N ha-1 application. The combination of the organic input and supplementary application of mineral fertilizer N has been found as a more attractive management option. For all irrigation treatments, the % recovery of N in the whole plant was higher in plants that received 15N at tillering (63%, 49% respectively for irrigation intervals between 10 and 30 d) than in plants that received 15N just after seeding (28% for irrigation each 10- and 30-d intervals). For the irrigation treatment each 10 and 15 days, the 15N was mainly recovered by the grain for all fertilization treatments, whereas for irrigation treatment each 30 days, the grain and straw recovered nearly equal amounts of fertilizer. For grain and straw of wheat, nitrogen in the plant derived from the fertilizer was low, while most of the N was derived from the soil for all irrigation and fertilization treatments. The % nitrogen in the plant derived from the fertilizer values showed no significant difference between the different plant parts. The results suggested a dominant influence of moisture availability on the fertilizer N uptake by wheat. Under dry conditions the losses of N can be allotted to denitrification and volatilisation.

High autotrophic nitrogen removal rates of 858mg NL(-1) day(-1) or 1.55g Nm(-2) day(-1) were obtained in a lab-scale rotating biological contactor treating an ammonium rich influent. It was postulated that ammonium was removed as dinitrogen gas by a sequence of aerobic ammonium oxidation to nitrite taking place in the outer biofilm layer and anaerobic ammonium oxidation with nitrite as electron acceptor occuring in the deeper biofilm layer. Chemical evidence for anaerobic ammonium oxidation within intact biofilm sludge from a lab-scale rotating biological contactor could be provided, without direct identification of responsible organisms catalysing this reaction. 15N tracer techniques were used for identification and quantification of nitrogen transformations. In batch tests with biofilm sludge at dissolved oxygen concentrations lower than 0.1mgL(-1), ammonium and nitrite did react in a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1.43 thereby forming dinitrogen. 15N isotope dilution calculations revealed that anaerobic ammonium oxidation was the major nitrogen transformation leading to concomitant ammonium and nitrite removal. Isotopic analysis of the produced biogas showed that both ammonium-N and nitrite-N were incorporated in N(2).

Old-growth forests of southern Chile represent an important reserve of temperate (rain) forests in the world. Wetter and colder forest ecosystems appear to be more efficient in conserving and recycling N such that mostly non-plant available N species are lost, which could be indicated by more depleted δ 15 N values of the soil and plants. Hydrological N loss from the old-growth forests in southern Chile occurs mainly via dissolved organic nitrogen and not via dissolved inorganic N. Forest disturbances ( e.g . fire, clear-cutting or enhanced N deposition) cause (abrupt) changes in ecosystem N-cycling processes. In this study, we hypothesized that δ 15 N signatures of soil profiles under old-growth forests could be used as an integrator for ecosystem N-cycling, and changes of these δ 15 N profiles could be valuable to assess ecosystem resilience towards disturbances. Six old-growth forests were selected in the phytogeographical region of the Valdivian rain forest in southern Chile. One of the sites has been partly burned in February 2002. First, we observed that ecosystems with higher mean annual precipitation and lower mean annual temperature were relatively more depleted in 15 N. Secondly, we found that a forest fire caused a 100-fold increase of the nitrate export and induced an enrichment of the soil δ 15 N signal in the upper 20 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A field plots experiment was carried out to assess the effects of repeated application of municipal solid waste compost in comparison to farmyard manure on the accumulation and distribution of trace metals, as well as organic carbon and nitrogen in Tunisian calcareous soil. Compared with untreated soil, the application of the two organic amendments significantly increased the organic carbon and nitrogen contents of the soil. Particle-size fractionations showed that carbon and nitrogen were mainly found to occur in the macro-organic matter fraction (80%). The two organic amendments significantly increased organic carbon in the macro-organic and mineral >150μm fraction and the 150–50μm fraction, as well as the organic nitrogen in 150–50μm and macro-organic fraction. Compared with farmyard manure, municipal solid waste compost significantly increased total Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn contents in the topsoil. These trace metals were mainly present in the macro-organic matter fraction. Significant increases of Cu, Zn and Pb were detected in the 150–50μm, <50μm and macro-organic fractions after application of municipal solid waste compost. A significant increase of Cd content was only observed in the 150–50μm fraction. The trace metals also showed different fractionation patterns when the BCR sequential extraction scheme was applied on untreated and compost-treated soil. The residual fraction was found to be the major fraction, especially for Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn. In contrast, Cd was mainly present in the acid-extractable and reducible fraction, whereas Pb was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]