Dissolved inorganic nitrogen and chlorophyll-a at a restored site in Suisun Marsh

A two-year study of nutrient and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) dynamics within and proximal to a 28 ha restored wetland was evaluated. The net mass flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and chl-a at the restored site, Blacklock Tidal Marsh (BTM) was also determined by relating constituent concentrations of water samples to flow through breaches in the levee surrounding the wetland. In general, ammonium, nitrate, and chl-a concentrations in BTM were similar to those found at an historic wetland in Suisun Marsh. Variability of constituent concentrations within BTM was high, changing with rising and falling tidal stage and seasons. Though the flux of all constituents varied in magnitude and direction between monitored tidal cycles, BTM appeared to be a net sink of DIN and a source for chl-a.