Upper Choptank Watershed
Synoptic Survey


Nutrient synoptic sampling was scheduled for early spring to coincide with the period of maximum nitrogen concentrations in the free flowing fresh water streams. The major proportion of the nitrogen compounds are carried dissolved in the ground water rather than in surface runoff. The higher nitrogen concentrations in the late winter and early spring reflect the higher proportion of nitrogen rich shallow ground water present in the base flow at this time of year. Nitrogen concentrations are reduced in summer as the proportion of shallow ground water is reduced through plant uptake, and replaced by deeper ground water that may have lower nitrate concentrations, or has been denitrified through interaction with anoxic conditions in the soils below the streambed. Point sources can also contribute to in stream nitrate concentrations.

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