Source and Delivery of Nutrients to Receiving Waters in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic Regions of the United States

Journal of the American Water Resources Association

Volumn 47, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 965-990

  Moore, Richard B ^a   Johnston, Craig M ^a   Smith, Richard A ^a   Milstead, Bryan ^b  

^a U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY   (United States)

^b U S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY   (United States)

Author keywords

Nitrogen; Nutrients; Phosphorus; SPARROW; Stochastic models; Transport and fate

Indexed keywords

AGRICULTURAL SOURCES; ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITIONS; LAKE SAND RESERVOIRS; LARGE RIVERS; MODEL RESULTS; NATURAL ATTENUATION; NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT; NUTRIENT SOURCES; POINT SOURCES; RECEIVING WATERS; SOURCE CONDITIONS; SPARROW; TOTAL NITROGEN; TRANSPORT AND FATE;

ESTUARIES; EUTROPHICATION; INFORMATION MANAGEMENT; LAKES; LANDFORMS; METEOROLOGICAL PROBLEMS; NITROGEN; PHOSPHORUS; RESERVOIRS (WATER); STOCHASTIC MODELS; WATERSHEDS;

NUTRIENTS;

ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION; EUTROPHICATION; NITROGEN; NUTRIENT BUDGET; PHOSPHORUS; POINT SOURCE; POLLUTANT TRANSPORT; STOCHASTICITY; WATER POLLUTION;

UNITED STATES;

EID: 84860389225     PISSN: 1093474X     EISSN: 17521688     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00582.x     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Alexander, R.B., J.K. Böhlke, E.W. Boyer, M.B. David, J.W. Harvey, P.J. Mulholland, S.P. Seitzinger, C.R. Tobias, C. Tonitto, and W.M. Wollheim, 2009. Dynamic Modeling of Nitrogen Losses in River Networks Unravels the Coupled Effects of Hydrological and Biogeochemical Processes. Biogeochemistry 93(1/2):91-116, doi:.
2. Alexander, R.B., A.H. Elliott, U. Shankar, and G.B. McBride, 2002. Estimating the Sources and Transport of Nutrients in the Waikato River Basin, New Zealand. Water Resources Research 38:1268-1290.
3. Alexander, R.B., R.A. Smith, and G.E. Schwarz, 2000. Effect of Stream Channel Size on the Delivery of Nitrogen to the Gulf of Mexico. Nature 403:758-761.
4. Alexander, R.B., R.A. Smith, G.E. Schwarz, E.W. Boyer, J.V. Nolan, and J.W. Brakebill, 2008. Differences in Phosphorus and Nitrogen Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico From the Mississippi River Basin. Environmental Science & Technology 42(3):822-830., accessed June 2011.
5. Alexander, R.B., R.A. Smith, G.E. Schwarz, S.D. Preston, J.W. Brakebill, R. Srinivasan, and P.A. Pacheco, 2001. Atmospheric Nitrogen Flux From the Watersheds of Major Estuaries of the United States: An Application of the SPARROW Watershed Model. In: Nitrogen Loading in Coastal Water Bodies: An Atmospheric Perspective. American Geophysical Union Monograph 57, Richard Valigura, Richard Alexander, Mark Castro, Tilden Meyers, Hans Paerl, Paul Stacey, and R. Eugene Turner (Editors). American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., pp. 119-170.
6. Booth, N.L., E.J. Everman, I-L. Kuo, L. Sprague, and L. Murphy, this issue. A Web-Based Decision Support System for Assessing Regional Water-Quality Conditions and Management Actions. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
7. Boyer, E.W., R.B. Alexander, W.J. Parton, C.S. Li, K. Butterbach-Bahl, S.D. Donner, R.W. Skaggs, and S. Del Grosso, 2006. Modeling Denitrification in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems at Regional Scales. Ecological Applications 16(6):2123-2142.
8. Boyer, E.W., C.L. Goodale, N.A. Jaworski, and R.W. Howarth, 2002. Effects of Anthropogenic Nitrogen Loading on Riverine Nitrogen Export in the Northeastern U.S.. Biogeochemistry 57/58:137-169.
9. Brakebill, J.W. and S.D. Preston, 2004. Digital Data Used to Relate Nutrient Inputs to Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Version 3.0. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report OFR-04-1433., accessed June 2011.
10. Brakebill, J.W., D.M. Wolock, and S.E. Terziotti, this issue. Digital Hydrologic Networks Supporting Applications Related to Spatially Referenced Regression Modeling. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
11. Bricker, S.B., C.G. Clement, D.E. Pirhalla, S.P. Orlando, and D.R.G. Farrow, 1999. National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment: Effects of Nutrient Enrichment in the Nation's Estuaries. NOAA, National Ocean Service, Special Projects Office and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, Maryland, 71 pp., accessed June 2011.
12. Bricker, S.B., B. Longstaff, W. Dennison, A. Jones, K. Boicourt, C. Wicks, and J. Woerner, 2007. Effects of Nutrient Enrichment In the Nation's Estuaries: A Decade of Change. NOAA, Coastal Ocean Program Decision Analysis Series No. 26. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, Maryland, 328 pp., accessed June 2011.
13. Brown, J.B., L.A. Sprague, and J.A. Dupree, this issue. Nutrient Sources and Transport in the Missouri River Basin, With Emphasis on the Effects of Irrigation and Reservoirs. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
14. Fry, J.A., M.J. Coan, C.G. Homer, D.K. Meyer, and J.D. Wickham, 2009. Completion of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 1992-2001 Land Cover Change Retrofit Product. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1379, 18 pp., accessed June 2011.
15. García, A.M., A.B. Hoos, and S. Terziotti, this issue. A Regional Modeling Framework of Phosphorus Sources and Transport in Streams of the Southeastern United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
16. Gesch, D., G. Evans, J. Mauck, J. Hutchinson, and W.J. Carswell, Jr., 2009. The National Map - Elevation. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3053, 4 pp., accessed June 2011.
17. Helsel, D.R. and R.M. Hirsch, 1992. Statistical Methods in Water Resources. Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 522 pp.
18. Hem, J.D., 1985. Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water (Third Edition). U.S. Geological Survey, Water-Supply Paper 2254, 263 pp.
19. Hoos, A.B. and G. McMahon, 2009. Spatial Analysis of Instream Nitrogen Loads and Factors Controlling Nitrogen Delivery to Streams in the Southeastern United States Using Spatially Referenced Regression on Watershed Attributes. Journal of Hydrological Processes 23(16):2275-2294.
20. Howarth, R.W., G. Billen, D. Swaney, A. Townsend, N. Jaworski, K. Lajtha, J.A. Downing, R. Elmgren, N. Caraco, T. Jordan, F. Berendse, J. Freney, V. Kueyarov, P. Murdoch, and Z. Zhao-Liang, 1996. Riverine Inputs of Nitrogen to the North Atlantic Ocean: Fluxes and Human Influences. Biogeochemistry 35:75-139.
21. Jaworksi, N.A., R.W. Howarth, and L.J. Hetling, 1997. Atmospheric Deposition of Nitrogen Oxides onto the Landscape Contributes to Coastal Eutrophication in the Northeast US. Environmental Science and Technology 31:1995-2004.
22. Johnston, C.M., T.G. Dewald, T.R. Bondelid, B.B. Worstell, L.D. McKay, A. Rea, R.B. Moore, and J.L. Goodall, 2009. Evaluation of Catchment Delineation Methods for the Medium-Resolution National Hydrography Dataset. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5233, 88 pp., accessed June 2011.
23. Langland, M.J., 1998. Changes in Sediment and Nutrient Storage in Three Reservoirs in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin and Implications for the Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 003-98.
24. Maupin, M.A. and T. Ivahnenko, this issue. Nutrient Loadings to Streams of the Continental United States from Municipal and Industrial Effluent. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
25. McMahon, G., L. Tervelt, and W. Donehoo, 2007. Methods for Estimating Annual Wastewater Nutrient Loads in the Southeastern United States. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1040, 81 pp., accessed June 2011.
26. Moore, R.B., C.M. Johnston, K.W. Robinson, and J.R. Deacon, 2004. Estimation of Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus in New England Streams Using Spatially Referenced Regression Models. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5012, 50 pp., accessed June 2011.
27. Moore, R.B., H.A. Walker, and E.H. Dettmann, 2007. Integration of National Coastal Assessment Data, Freshwater Nutrient (SPARROW) Modeling and Estuary Nutrient Mass Balance Calculations: An Example From Narragansett Bay. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment Program 2007 Symposium, Washington D.C. Abstract available online at, accessed June 2011.
28. National Research Council, 2000. Clean Coastal Waters Understanding and Reducing the Effects of Nutrient Pollution. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 405 pp.
29. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 2000. A Total Maximum Daily Load Analysis to Achieve Water Quality Standards for Dissolved Oxygen in Long Island Sound. 73 pp., accessed June 2011.
30. Nolan, B.T. and J.D. Stoner, 2000. Nutrients in Groundwaters of the Conterminous United States, 1992-1995. Environmental Science & Technology 34:1156-1165.
31. Olsen, A., B. Snyder, L. Stahl, and J. Pitt, 2009. Survey Design for Lakes and Reservoirs in the United States to Assess Contaminants in Fish Tissue. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 150:91-100.
32. Omernik, J.M., 1995. Ecoregions - A Framework for Environmental Management. In: Biological Assessment and Criteria-Tools for Water Resource Planning and Decision Making, W.S. Davis and T.P. Simon (Editors). Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, pp. 49-62.
33. Preston, S.D., R.B. Alexander, M.D. Woodside, and P.A. Hamilton, 2009. SPARROW MODELING - Enhancing Understanding of the Nation's Water Quality. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Fact Sheet 2009-3019, 6 pp., accessed June 2011.
34. Preston, S.D. and J.W. Brakebill, 1999. Application of Spatially Referenced Regression Modeling for the Evaluation of Total Nitrogen Loading in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4054, 12 pp., accessed June 2011.
35. Rebich, R.A., N.A. Houston, S.V. Mize, D.K. Pearson, P.B. Ging, and C.E. Hornig, this issue. Sources and Delivery of Nutrients to the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico From Streams in the South-Central United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
36. Robertson, D.M. and D.A. Saad, this issue. Nutrient Inputs to the Laurentian Great Lakes by Source and Watershed Estimated Using SPARROW Watershed Models. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
37. Saad, D.A., G.E. Schwarz, D.M. Robertson, and N.L. Booth, this issue. A Multi-Agency Nutrient Dataset Used to Estimate Loads, Improve Monitoring Design, and Calibrate Regional Nutrient SPARROW Models. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
38. SAS Institute, Inc., 1999. SAS User's Guide, version 8. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina.
39. Schindler, D.W., R.E. Hecky, D.L. Findlay, M.P. Stainton, B.R. Parker, M. Paterson, K.G. Beaty, M. Lyng, and S.E.M. Kasian, 2008. Eutrophication of Lakes Cannot be Controlled by Reducing Nitrogen Input: Results of a 37Year Whole Ecosystem Experiment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 105:11254-11258.
40. Schwarz, G.E., A.B. Hoos, R.B. Alexander, and R.A. Smith, 2006. The SPARROW Surface Water-Quality Model: Theory, Application, and User Documentation. U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods Report, Book 6, Chapter B3, 248 pp., accessed June 2011.
41. Seitzinger, S., J.A. Harrison, J.K. Bohlke, A.F. Bouwman, R. Lowrance, B. Peterson, C. Tobias, and G.V. Drecht, 2006. Denitrification Across Landscapes and Waterscapes: A Synthesis. Ecological Applications 16(6):2064-2090.
42. Seitzinger, S.P., R.V. Styles, E.W. Boyer, R.B. Alexander, G. Billen, R.W. Howarth, B. Mayer, and N. van Breemen, 2002. Nitrogen Retention in Rivers: Model Development and Application to Watersheds in the Northeastern U.S.A. Biogeochemistry 57-58(1):199-237.
43. Simley, J.D. and W.J. Carswell, Jr., 2009. The National Map - Hydrography. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3054, 4 pp., accessed June 2011.
44. Smith, T.E., A.E. Laursen, and J.R. Deacon, 2008. Nitrogen Attenuation in the Connecticut River, Northeastern USA; A Comparison of Mass Balance and N2 Production Modeling Approaches. Biogeochemistry 87(3):311-323, doi:., accessed June 2011.
45. Smith, R.A., G.E. Schwarz, and R.B. Alexander, 1997. Regional Interpretation of Water-Quality Monitoring Data. Water Resources Research 33:2781-2798., accessed June 2011.
46. Stevens, D.L. and A.R. Olsen, 2004. Spatially Balanced Sampling of Natural Resources. Journal of the American Statistical Association 99:262-278.
47. Strahler, A.N., 1957. Quantitative Analysis of Watershed Geomorphology. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union 38:913-920.
48. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2004. Watershed Boundary Dataset., accessed June 2011.
49. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000a. Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Office of Water, EPA-822-B-00-002, variously paged.
50. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000b. State of the Environment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New England, Boston, 38 pp.
51. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008. National Coastal Condition Report III. EPA/842-R-08-002 Office of Research and Development/Office of Water, Washington, D.C., accessed June 2011.
52. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009, National Lakes Assessment: A Collaborative Survey of the Nation's Lakes. EPA 841-R-09-001. Office of Water and Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C., 115 pp., accessed June 2011.
53. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2000. Atmospheric Deposition Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-00-112, 6 pp., accessed June 2011.
54. Wieczorek, M.E. and A.E. Lamotte, 2011. Attributes for NHDPlus Catchments (Version 1.1) for the Conterminous United States. U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DS-490., accessed June 2011
55. Wise, D.R. and H.M. Johnson, this issue. Surface-Water Nutrient Conditions and Sources in the United States Pacific Northwest. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, doi:.
56. Wolock, D.M., 2003. Base-Flow Index Grid for the Conterminous United States. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 03-263, Digital Spatial Data., accessed June 2011.