Beavers aid in nitrogen removal in the Northeast

摘要

Beavers may help improve water quality in the Northeastern U.S. by constructing dams that create ponds that, in turn, slow down the movement of water. Researchers found that these ponds increase water retention time and provide conditions suitable for removing nitrogen, according to a joint news release from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America (all in Madison, Wis.). Nitrogen levels, which have been increasing in the Northeast, can cause algal blooms and result in dead zones. Arthur Gold, a researcher from the University of Rhode Island (Kingston), and his colleagues at the university, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Millbrook, N.Y.) began studying how beavers affect nitrogen levels after observing how their presence altered the results of other nitrogen-movement studies.