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Wetlands as a potential multifunctioning tool to mitigate eutrophication and brownification

Borgström, Anna LU ; Hansson, Lars Anders LU orcid ; Klante, Clemens LU and Sjöstedt, Johanna LU (2024) In Ecological Applications
Abstract

Eutrophication and brownification are ongoing environmental problems affecting aquatic ecosystems. Due to anthropogenic changes, increasing amounts of organic and inorganic compounds are entering aquatic systems from surrounding catchment areas, increasing both nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC), and water color with societal, as well as ecological consequences. Several studies have focused on the ability of wetlands to reduce nutrients, whereas data on their potential to reduce TOC and water color are scarce. Here we evaluate wetlands as a potential multifunctional tool for mitigating both eutrophication and brownification. Therefore, we performed a study for 18 months in nine wetlands allowing us to estimate the reduction in... (More)

Eutrophication and brownification are ongoing environmental problems affecting aquatic ecosystems. Due to anthropogenic changes, increasing amounts of organic and inorganic compounds are entering aquatic systems from surrounding catchment areas, increasing both nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC), and water color with societal, as well as ecological consequences. Several studies have focused on the ability of wetlands to reduce nutrients, whereas data on their potential to reduce TOC and water color are scarce. Here we evaluate wetlands as a potential multifunctional tool for mitigating both eutrophication and brownification. Therefore, we performed a study for 18 months in nine wetlands allowing us to estimate the reduction in concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), TOC and water color. We show that wetland reduction efficiency with respect to these variables was generally higher during summer, but many of the wetlands were also efficient during winter. We also show that some, but not all, wetlands have the potential to reduce TOC, water color and nutrients simultaneously. However, the generalist wetlands that reduced all four parameters were less efficient in reducing each of them than the specialist wetlands that only reduced one or two parameters. In a broader context, generalist wetlands have the potential to function as multifunctional tools to mitigate both eutrophication and brownification of aquatic systems. However, further research is needed to assess the design of the generalist wetlands and to investigate the potential of using several specialist wetlands in the same catchment.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
brownification, constructed wetlands, eutrophication, mitigation effort, multifunctionality, nitrogen, phosphorus, removal efficiency, removal rate, total organic carbon, water color
in
Ecological Applications
article number
e2945
pages
17 pages
publisher
Ecological Society of America
external identifiers
  • pmid:38286682
  • scopus:85183662965
ISSN
1051-0761
DOI
10.1002/eap.2945
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64a3896a-58c4-4b96-97a8-d4178c85a744
date added to LUP
2024-02-26 11:17:01
date last changed
2024-04-25 19:04:23
@article{64a3896a-58c4-4b96-97a8-d4178c85a744,
  abstract     = {{<p>Eutrophication and brownification are ongoing environmental problems affecting aquatic ecosystems. Due to anthropogenic changes, increasing amounts of organic and inorganic compounds are entering aquatic systems from surrounding catchment areas, increasing both nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC), and water color with societal, as well as ecological consequences. Several studies have focused on the ability of wetlands to reduce nutrients, whereas data on their potential to reduce TOC and water color are scarce. Here we evaluate wetlands as a potential multifunctional tool for mitigating both eutrophication and brownification. Therefore, we performed a study for 18 months in nine wetlands allowing us to estimate the reduction in concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), TOC and water color. We show that wetland reduction efficiency with respect to these variables was generally higher during summer, but many of the wetlands were also efficient during winter. We also show that some, but not all, wetlands have the potential to reduce TOC, water color and nutrients simultaneously. However, the generalist wetlands that reduced all four parameters were less efficient in reducing each of them than the specialist wetlands that only reduced one or two parameters. In a broader context, generalist wetlands have the potential to function as multifunctional tools to mitigate both eutrophication and brownification of aquatic systems. However, further research is needed to assess the design of the generalist wetlands and to investigate the potential of using several specialist wetlands in the same catchment.</p>}},
  author       = {{Borgström, Anna and Hansson, Lars Anders and Klante, Clemens and Sjöstedt, Johanna}},
  issn         = {{1051-0761}},
  keywords     = {{brownification; constructed wetlands; eutrophication; mitigation effort; multifunctionality; nitrogen; phosphorus; removal efficiency; removal rate; total organic carbon; water color}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Ecological Society of America}},
  series       = {{Ecological Applications}},
  title        = {{Wetlands as a potential multifunctioning tool to mitigate eutrophication and brownification}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.2945}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/eap.2945}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}