Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Natural, Converted, and Restored Wetlands of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain.

On the Mid Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States wetlands have often been drained and converted to agricultural use. Recent efforts by the NRCS have attempted restore some of the prior converted farmland back to their natural state. These restored wetlands may lie adjacent to agricultural lands, and therefore can receive runoff containing nitrogen. The anaerobic conditions of these wetlands may result in partial denitrification and the production of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Restored, prior-converted, and natural wetlands along the Mid-Atlantic Coastal plain were compared to see the potential differences in nitrous oxide flux from the soil. Initial results do not show observable differences between the three wetland types.