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From burned slopes to streams: how wildfire affects nitrogen cycling and retention in forests and fire-prone watersheds
Gustine, R.N., Hanan, E.J., Robichaud, P.R. et al. 2021.
From burned slopes to streams: how wildfire affects nitrogen cycling and retention in forests and fire-prone watersheds.
Biogeochemistry 157, 51–68, DOI: 10.1007/s10533-021-00861-0.
Keywords: Wildfire, Nitrogen cycling, Nitrogen retention, Water quality, Drinking water
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Abstract:
Wildfire is a major driver of nitrogen
(N) cycling and export from terrestrial to aquatic
systems. While fire is a natural process in many
watersheds, it can still degrade water quality by
rapidly flushing N to streams. This can be particularly
problematic in watersheds that experience high levels
of N deposition or where climate change is promoting
larger and more severe fires. The extent and duration
of postfire N export, and the potential consequences
for downstream water quality, depend on how N
inputs, internal cycling, and outputs vary before,
during, and after fire. Here we review the major factors
controlling N cycling and retention in forests and
adjacent shrublands, and how fire modifies these
controls. We connect burned slopes to streams to
describe how fire exports N to aquatic environments.
We also consider the implications for municipal
watersheds and water resources management. We
close by identifying critical knowledge gaps in
projecting how fire will affect watershed N cycling
and retention in the future
Moscow FSL publication no. 2021c
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