Nitrogen and Phosphorus Processing in Restored Versus Degraded Riverine Coastal Wetlands
Cassandra Wolfanger, The College at Brockport State University of New York, [email protected]
Clayton Williams, The University of Vermont, [email protected]
Abstract
Wetland restoration projects implemented in many coastal wetlands of Lake Ontario since 2014 aimed to improve vegetation community dynamics and fish and wildlife habitat. Coastal wetlands also function as biogeochemical reactors, buffering the lake from terrestrial nutrient inputs, but it is unclear if these types of wetland restoration projects provide additional benefits to Lake Ontario by enhancing wetland nutrient removal capacity. To fill these knowledge gaps, four restored and four unrestored coastal riverine wetlands within 25 km of the Rochester Embayment Area of Concern were sampled ten times from April to October 2017 under low and high flow conditions during an unusually high lake level year. At each wetland, water samples were collected from the upstream input and within the main flow path of the vegetative complex to determine if and how degraded versus restored wetlands differ in their efficacy to serve as nutrient buffers between the inputs of riverine landscapes and the Great Lakes. Preliminary results suggest elevated nutrient removal under base flow conditions compared to high flow conditions, but differences between restored and unrestored wetlands are currently unclear. This research will be valuable to the Great Lakes community in future restorative efforts and management of coastal wetlands.
1. Keyword
nutrients
2. Keyword
biogeochemistry
3. Keyword
coastal wetlands
4. Additional Keyword
restoration
5. Additional Keyword
water quality
6. Additional Keyword
Lake Ontario