Estimates of Sediment Denitrification and its Influence on the Fate of Nitrogen in Chesapeake Bay
- Published:
- August 1, 1987
- Originator:
- Chesapeake Bay Program
In general, it has been well established that nitrogen is the key nutrient most often controlling rates of primary production in estuarine water (Ryther and Dunstand 1071; Goldman et al. 1973; Boynton et al. 1982). Based on a survey of data from some 60 nearshore and estuarine waters, Boynton et al. (1982) reported that N:P ratios were generally less than 10 which indicate that primary producers would exhaust necessary supplies of nitrogen prior to phosphorus if there were sufficient demand for those compounds (Redfield 1934).