Hydrology and Earth System Sciences www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net 1027-5606 1607-7938 13 12 2009 10.5194/hess-13-2359-2009 http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/13/2359/2009/ http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/13/2359/2009/hess-13-2359-2009.html http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/13/2359/2009/hess-13-2359-2009.pdf 2359 2371 2009-12-10 Nitrogen retention in natural Mediterranean wetland-streams affected by agricultural runoff V. García-García R. Gómez M. R. Vidal-Abarca M. L. Suárez Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain Nitrogen retention efficiency in natural Mediterranean wetland-streams affected by agricultural runoff was quantified and the effect of the temporal variability and hydrological/chemical loading was examined from March 2007 to June 2008 in two wetland-streams located in Southeast Spain. Nitrate-N (NO^&minus;₃-N), ammonium-N (NH⁺₄-N), total nitrogen-N (TN-N), total organic nitrogen-N (TON-N) and chloride (Cl^&minus;) concentrations were analyzed to calculate nitrogen retention efficiencies. These wetland-streams consistently reduced water nitrogen concentration throughout the year with higher values for NO^&minus;₃-N (72.3%), even though the mean value of inflow NO^&minus;₃-N concentrations was above 20 mg l^&minus;1. Additionally, they usually acted as sinks for TON-N (8.4%), but as sources for NH⁺₄-N. Over the entire study period, the Taray and Parra wetland-streams were capable of removing on average 1.6 and 0.8 kg NO^&minus;₃-N a day^&minus;1, respectively. Retention efficiencies were not affected by temperature variation. NO^&minus;₃-N retention efficiency followed a seasonal pattern with the highest retention values in summer (June–September). 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