| dc.description.abstract | Investigations of phosphorus cycling and transport in streams lend insight into potential mechanisms of nutrient sequestration and can help mitigate human impact. In this study, we show a relationship between transient storage and phosphorus uptake in a cold-water stream in western Wisconsin. Hydrologic characteristics, nutrient spiraling metrics, macrophyte biomass, and geomorphological properties were quantified in seven reaches of Spring Coulee Creek. In each reach a solute transport model was used to estimate the median travel-time spent in transient storage, and uptake velocity was measured using pulsed additions of PO43- to the surface water. Stepwise linear regression was used to build models for transient storage and uptake velocity. Macrophyte biomass, stream bed slope, and riffle to pool ratio accounted for 99.6% of the variation in transient storage (P < 0.001). Transient storage, canopy cover, and slope accounted for 98.0% of the variation in uptake velocity (P = 0.002). This study shows that transient storage, primarily resulting from macrophyte beds, is positively correlated with phosphorus uptake but acknowledges the importance of other factors as well. | en |
