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Hydrologic Control Of Nitrogenremoval, Storage And Export In A Mountain Stream, R. O. Hall Jr., Michelle A. Baker, C. D. Arp, B. J. Koch

Biology Faculty Publications

Nutrient cycling and export in streams and rivers should vary with flow regime, yet most studies of stream nutrient transformation do not include hydrologic variability. We used a stable isotope tracer of nitrogen (¹⁵N) to measure nitrate (NO₃^-) uptake, storage, and export in a mountain stream, Spring Creek, Idaho, U.S.A. We conducted two tracer tests of 2-week duration during snowmelt and baseflow. Dissolved and particulate forms of ¹⁵N were monitored over three seasons to test the hypothesis that stream N cycling would be dominated by export during floods, and storage during low flow. Floods …