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Sediment-assisted nutrient transfer from a small, no-till, tile drained watershed in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

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  • Molder, Bryce
  • Cockburn, Jaclyn
  • Berg, Aaron
  • Lindsay, John
  • Woodrow, Kathryn

Abstract

Sediment and nutrient exports were evaluated in a small agriculture-dominated watershed that drains into Rondeau Bay, on the northern shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The following hypothesis was tested: the quantity and quality of suspended sediment yields in agricultural settings controls nutrient transfer from surface runoff. Stream discharge and water quality were monitored at three locations along a tributary reach within the Rondeau Bay basin during the 2013 growing-harvest season (May–October). Water samples were analyzed in the laboratory for suspended sediment concentration, particle size, and sediment-assisted nitrogen and phosphorus content. Estimated total sediment yield over the 6-month monitoring period was ∼50t (0.13tha−1). A mid-season change in contributing sediment sources was inferred based on the observations of suspended sediment transfer and particle size following a ∼92mm rainfall event. This extreme runoff event marked a change in the discharge-suspended sediment response seen in the catchment, which included a July–September abrupt decrease in suspended sediment concentration and a coincident increase in fine-grained particle abundance. Clockwise event hysteresis suggested adjacent and/or likely channel derived sediment sources. Finally, there was a positive relationship between suspended sediment concentration and phosphorus (R2=0.86, n=63) and orthophosphate (R2=0.75, n=63). Estimated nutrient concentrations exceeded provincial load guidelines, which suggests that present land management efforts to minimize nutrient loading via surface runoff require further evaluation. This research concludes that agricultural-based nutrient loading into Lake Erie is sediment-assisted and that this sediment potentially derives from in-channel and tile drain sources. The findings have important implications for future soil loss and thus nutrient loading from agricultural settings, especially during extreme events.

Suggested Citation

  • Molder, Bryce & Cockburn, Jaclyn & Berg, Aaron & Lindsay, John & Woodrow, Kathryn, 2015. "Sediment-assisted nutrient transfer from a small, no-till, tile drained watershed in Southwestern Ontario, Canada," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 31-40.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:152:y:2015:i:c:p:31-40
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2014.12.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Macrae, M.L. & English, M.C. & Schiff, S.L. & Stone, M., 2007. "Intra-annual variability in the contribution of tile drains to basin discharge and phosphorus export in a first-order agricultural catchment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(3), pages 171-182, September.
    2. Singh, R. & Helmers, M.J. & Crumpton, W.G. & Lemke, D.W., 2007. "Predicting effects of drainage water management in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(3), pages 162-170, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Nazari, Saeid & Ford, William I. & King, Kevin W., 2022. "Impact of flow pathway and source water connectivity on subsurface sediment and particulate phosphorus dynamics in tile-drained agroecosystems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    3. Chen, Lina & Zhao, Zilong & Li, Jiang & Wang, Haiming & Guo, Guomian & Wu, Wenbo, 2022. "Effects of muddy water irrigation with different sediment particle sizes and sediment concentrations on soil microbial communities in the Yellow River Basin of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).

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