Study Shows Wetlands Provide Landscape-Scale Reduction in Nitrogen Pollution

A study published recently in the journal Nature Geoscience by National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers offers new insights into the wetlands’ ability to reduce nitrate levels in rivers and streams. Wetland complexes can be five times better at reducing nitrate than the best land-based nitrogen mitigation strategies, the scientists say. “Agricultural productivity benefits the economy, but is often accompanied by environmental costs,” says Tom Torgersen, director of NSF’s Water, Sustainability and Climate program, which funded the research. “This study demonstrates that retaining or restoring wetlands in intensively managed agricultural watersheds would reduce nitrate in rivers and improve local water quality, while also