Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/J017523/1
[WATER][AGRIFOOD][RESOURCE] Quantifying nitrate production and leaching rates for reducing contamination of drinking water sources
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor RP Evershed, University of Bristol, Chemistry
- Grant held at:
- University of Bristol, Chemistry
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Nitrogen (N) is a vital element to all plants, animals and microorganisms, being a component of the amino acids found in proteins and nucleotides comprising DNA and RNA, and a wide range of other biochemicals vital to life. The N cycle is the biological process through which N is transferred within the environment between different organisms, and especially after the death of organisms, converted from the living organic forms to the major mineral form, nitrate, which is readily used by growing plants. Indeed, N is so important to plant growth that where plants are grown intensively on soils, such as in agricultural systems, additional N must be added in the form of fertilizer to maintain crop yields. Fertilizers can be organic, such as the excreta from animals, i.e. urine and faeces of farm animals make up slurries, which contain high concentrations of N, or inorganic, i.e. ammonium nitrate, which is produced industrially. A major problem that arises from the intensive application of such fertilisers to agricultural land is the transport of excess N by rainfall driven erosion into aquifers and other water bodies used for drinking water, i.e. rivers and reservoirs. This causes major problems all over the world with declining water quality, particularly through eutrophication, which is damaging to wildlife, and high nitrate concentrations in drinking water, which are potentially damaging to human health. Wessex Water, one of the southwest's largest regional drinking water companies, is experiencing exactly this type of water quality problem in its ground water drinking water sources and is investing in scientific studies in order to understand and limit the impact on them. Our project will involve the student collaborating with the Wessex Water staff in assessing their extensive water analysis records with the aim of selecting the most appropriate sites for further sampling during the project. These sites will provide samples of inputs, i.e. fertilisers, soil and water samples for further laboratory analyses, and soil blocks (lysimeters) for laboratory experiments to be performed at the University of Bristol. The project will use novel N stable isotope approaches developed in Bristol to investigate the transformations of N fertilizers in the soil. 15N-labelled tracer analogues of organic and inorganic fertilisers will be applied to the lysimeter cores and rainwater applied. The water soluble forms of N washed from the cores will be analysed, together with N remaining in the soil core at the end of the experiment. The use 15Nlabelled fertilisers will allow the background soil N to be distinguished from that derived from the applied fertilisers and microbial transformations at the molecular level, of organic to inorganic N forms (and vica versa), to be traced for the first time. The lysimeter experiments will be manipulated to investigate fertilizer type, incorporation method and rainfall characteristics on N transformation, nitrate production and leaching rate through soil. The results of the laboratory experiments will be used to design field scale experiments that will involve applying 15N-labelled organic and inorganic fertilizers at selected points within the Wessex Water monitored catchments then sampling during and after rain events to trace the fate of fertilizers at the field sites. The use of 15N-enriched tracers will overcome problems that thwarted previous efforts to follow the fate of natural abundance stable N isotope labelled fertilizers.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/J017523/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Open CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £71,899
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - Student Stipend | Total - RTSG |
|---|---|---|
| £13,812 | £48,285 | £9,803 |
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