Hyun Woo Kim, Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, South Korea
Excessive amounts of nitrogen from agricultural fields may deteriorate surface and subsurface water quality. Constructed wetlands have been considered as effective filters that improve the water quality by removing nitrogen. However, they are dynamic ecosystems and it is difficult to predict their efficiency. Models provide a useful tool to describe their efficiency of nitrogen removal. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of nitrogen removal of the treatment wetland in the outlet of the agricultural watershed in Open Grounds Farm in Carteret County, North Carolina. The treatment wetland at this site was a constructed brackish water tidal wetland receiving water from ditches draining a 997 ha watershed that is used for crop production. Three brackish water plant species, Juncus roemerianus, Cladium jamaicense, and Spartina alterniflora, were planted in a randomized complete block design. The sequential model for nitrogen transformation was used for this research. Our simulation results showed that this model successfully evaluate the amount of nitrogen removed by wetland system in drainage water, and these simulation results will also be useful for decision makers in wetland planning to base their decision on best available data and knowledge.
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