US EPA

1695611 

Journal Article 

OCCURRENCE OF NITRITE IN THE LOUGH-NEAGH RIVER SYSTEM 

Smith, RV; Foy, RH; Lennox, SD; Jordan, C; Burns, LC; Cooper, JE; Stevens, RJ 

1995 

Yes 

Journal of Environmental Quality
ISSN: 0047-2425
EISSN: 1537-2537 

BIOSIS/95/32969 

24 

5 

952-959 

English 

WOS:A1995RV38400023 

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2134/jeq1995.00472425002400050025x
Exit
 

The Lough Neagh catchment area covers about one-third of the land area of Northern Ireland. This report documents NO2- concentrations in the major rivers entering Lough Neagh, which are frequently in the range of 100 to 150 mu g N L(-1) and exceed the European Community (EC) water quality guide values, The contribution of land drainage to NO2- loads carried by these rivers was estimated to be about 40%, The remaining 60% of NO2- appears to originate from N transformations at the sediment-water interface of the river system, The available evidence suggests that NH4+ originating from agricultural pollution provides the N substrate for nitrification by Nitrosomonas to NO2-. What Is anomalous Is why this NO2- is not further oxidized rapidly to NO3- by Nitrobacter, A possible mechanism is that the Nitrobacter is retarded by the presence of free ammonia concentrations that can be predicted to be present in the range of 65 to 76 mu g N L(-1).