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Nutrients National Synthesis Project

Nutrient Concentrations and Yields in Undeveloped Basins of the United States

By Gregory M. Clark, David K. Mueller, and M. Alisa Mast

Abstract
Data from 85 sites across the United States were used to estimate concentrations and yields of selected nutrients in streams draining relatively undeveloped basins. Flow-weighted concentrations during 1990-95 were generally low with median basin concentrations of 0.020, 0.087, 0.26, 0.010, and 0.022 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for ammonia as N, nitrate as N, total nitrogen, orthophosphate as P, and total phosphorus, respectively. The flow-weighted concentration of nitrate exceeded 0.6 mg/L in only three basins. Total nitrogen exceeded 1 mg/L in only four basins, and total phosphorus exceeded 0.1 mg/L in only four basins. The median annual basin yield of ammonia as N, nitrate as N, total nitrogen, orthophosphate as P, and total phosphorus was 8.1, 26, 86, 2.8, and 8.5 kilograms per square kilometer, respectively. Concentrations and yields of nitrate tended to be highest in northeastern and mid-Atlantic coastal states and correlated well with areas of high atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Concentrations and yields of total nitrogen were highest in the southeastern part of the nation and in parts of the upper Midwest. In the northeast, nitrate was generally the predominant form of nitrogen, and in the southeast and parts of the upper Midwest, organic nitrogen was the dominant form. Concentrations of total phosphorus were generally highest in the Rocky Mountain and Central Plain states.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Methods
Results and discussion
  Nitrate
  Total nitrogen
  Total phosphorus
Conclusions
References

• Report (1.4 mb PDF)
• Site location map and tabular data, for reference (0.1 mb PDF)
• Supporting data (mean annual concentration) (.2 mb Excel)

Updates:
12/01/2000 - Changed units of mean annual runoff from cm/km2 to cm in supporting data table.
05/04/2001 - Added 90th percentile values for nutrient concentrations to table 1 of report.