TY - JOUR
T1 - Nitrogen deposition, catchment productivity, and climate as determinants of lake stoichiometry
AU - Hessen, Dag O.
AU - Andersen, Tom
AU - Larsen, Søren
AU - Skjelkvåle, Brit Lisa
AU - De Wit, Heleen A.
PY - 2009/11
Y1 - 2009/11
N2 - Nearly 1000 Norwegian lakes in catchments with low human activity were surveyed. By covering a wide range of nitrogen (N) deposition (0.1-2 g m -2 yr-1) along a latitudinal and climatic gradient, we clearly demonstrate how nitrogen (N) deposition, climate, and a few key catchment properties, notably the terrestrial vegetation density and the fraction of bogs, together serve as major predictors of concentrations and ratios of carbon, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and silicate (Si) in downstream lakes. Inorganic N in lakes was positively correlated with N deposition, while organic N was closely associated with allochthonous dissolved organic carbon. The ratio of NO3 to total N as well as NO3 to total P and NO3 to SiO2 were highly variable, and most of this variability was explained by N deposition; terrestrial vegetation density, as inferred from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; temperature; runoff; and the fraction of bogs in the catchment. Climate-induced changes in element concentrations and elemental ratios could profoundly affect the lake metabolism and community composition. By linking these data with downscaled climate change predictions we may also predict future shifts in element export and element ratios in various lakes with reasonable accuracy.
AB - Nearly 1000 Norwegian lakes in catchments with low human activity were surveyed. By covering a wide range of nitrogen (N) deposition (0.1-2 g m -2 yr-1) along a latitudinal and climatic gradient, we clearly demonstrate how nitrogen (N) deposition, climate, and a few key catchment properties, notably the terrestrial vegetation density and the fraction of bogs, together serve as major predictors of concentrations and ratios of carbon, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and silicate (Si) in downstream lakes. Inorganic N in lakes was positively correlated with N deposition, while organic N was closely associated with allochthonous dissolved organic carbon. The ratio of NO3 to total N as well as NO3 to total P and NO3 to SiO2 were highly variable, and most of this variability was explained by N deposition; terrestrial vegetation density, as inferred from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; temperature; runoff; and the fraction of bogs in the catchment. Climate-induced changes in element concentrations and elemental ratios could profoundly affect the lake metabolism and community composition. By linking these data with downscaled climate change predictions we may also predict future shifts in element export and element ratios in various lakes with reasonable accuracy.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70449418711&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:70449418711
VL - 54
SP - 2520
EP - 2528
JO - Limnology and Oceanography
JF - Limnology and Oceanography
SN - 0024-3590
IS - 6 PART 2
ER -