Nitrogen mass balance and uptake velocity for eutrophic reservoirs in the Brazilian semiarid region

Abstract The nitrogen (N) cycle from the catchment to the downstream reservoir is complex, particularly the quantification of N losses. However, in order to assess the nitrogen impact in a reservoir ecosystem, simplified models may be applicable regarding the TN load production and the magnitude of lake TN removal. This study presented a methodology to perform and validate a TN mass balance to further calibrate a simplified coefficient for TN losses (vf.) in 29 tropical semiarid reservoirs. The study reservoirs were highly productive ecosystems with an average total nitrogen (TN) concentration, accounting for all measurements in all reservoirs, ranging from 0.59 mg L− 1 to 3.84 mg L− 1. Regarding the production of TN load, the median values ranged from 4.35 to 2,499.43 t yr− 1 with median of 80.34 t yr− 1. The TN loads were estimated through an annual mass balance over a twenty-four-year period. The median of the estimates was compared with reference values obtained by using the export modelling coefficient. The correlation between the median estimated and reference loads resulted in satisfactory agreement (r² 0.88) and reinforced the reliability of the mass balance alternative. From the validated TN loads, the TN uptake velocity (vf) was estimated for all reservoirs (44.9 ± 20.1 m yr− 1) and could be described as a general function of the water residence time. The reservoirs of the study region have demonstrated higher vf than temperate lakes and reservoirs and similar vf with Latin America/Caribbean ones. As expected, reservoirs of warmer climates tend to present intensified N loss processes as compared to lakes and reservoirs of temperate regions. The methodology proposed in the present study can be used to potentially improve water quality management in tropical semiarid reservoirs.