Guest guest Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 " @ TheMultiD " " luckypig " Wed, 24 Dec 2003 11:52:20 -0500 Nitrates in Groundwater Scientists Amazed at Nitrate Persistence AMES, Iowa (UPI) -- A new agricultural study indicates nitrate fertilizer pollution can influence a watershed for several decades. The study, conducted by the National Soil Tilth Laboratory, in Ames, Iowa, showed nitrate pollution from agricultural fertilizers can make water unsafe to drink, and may be causing a " dead zone " near the outlet of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico. Laboratory scientists found an agricultural experiment concluded nearly 30 years ago is still influencing concentrations of nitrate in groundwater and stream flow draining from a 74-acre field in western Iowa. In the experiment conducted from 1969 to 1974, triple-rate fertilizer applications were made on a field forming the watershed for a small stream in western Iowa. The movement of a large pulse of nitrate into the deep soils was tracked in studies conducted up to 10 years later. But years later, scientists were surprised when they detected evidence of the same pulse of nitrate at a 60-foot depth when setting up to monitor groundwater at the site in 1996. Results of the study appear in the November/December issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality. ---------------------- Photos - Get your photo on the big screen in Times Square Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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