Urbanization in coastal watersheds is becoming an increasingly important issue in the world. Increased impervious surface cover, a factor of urbanization, has drawn more attention to stormwater runoff as a source of contamination to receiving waters. In this study, nitrogen species from rain and stormwater were analyzed across three different landscape types along the Mississippi Sound (hardened, residential, and pristine), as well as from drainage pipes that flow directly into to the Mississippi Sound. Nitrogen stable isotopes were used to trace the stormwater nitrogen to the surface waters and biota within the Sound.
The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of rainwater and stormwater to the nitrogen pool of Mississippi coastal waters, and to the biota present within those waters. All landscape types were found to have variable nitrogen sources in addition to rainwater nitrogen. Stormwater 15NH4 values were always enriched relative to rainwater 15NH4 values. Stormwater in pristine sites consistently had the lowest concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate. Surface water nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the more developed areas compared to waters near the pristine landscape.
","abstract_html":"<p>Urbanization in coastal watersheds is becoming an increasingly important issue in the world. Increased impervious surface cover, a factor of urbanization, has drawn more attention to stormwater runoff as a source of contamination to receiving waters. In this study, nitrogen species from rain and stormwater were analyzed across three different landscape types along the Mississippi Sound (hardened, residential, and pristine), as well as from drainage pipes that flow directly into to the Mississippi Sound. Nitrogen stable isotopes were used to trace the stormwater nitrogen to the surface waters and biota within the Sound.</p> <p>The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of rainwater and stormwater to the nitrogen pool of Mississippi coastal waters, and to the biota present within those waters. All landscape types were found to have variable nitrogen sources in addition to rainwater nitrogen. Stormwater <sup>15</sup>NH<sub>4</sub> values were always enriched relative to rainwater <sup>15</sup>NH<sub>4</sub> values. Stormwater in pristine sites consistently had the lowest concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate. Surface water nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the more developed areas compared to waters near the pristine landscape.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Allen, Joshua Michael"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Coastal Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kevin Dillon","Wei Wu","Scott Milroy"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z","subjects":["stormwater","rainwater","nitrogen","Mississippi Sound","stable isotopes","biogeochemistry","Earth Sciences","Oceanography","Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/57","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kevin Dillon","Wei Wu","Scott Milroy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Allen, Joshua Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-06-11T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Coastal Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["stormwater","rainwater","nitrogen","Mississippi Sound","stable isotopes","biogeochemistry","Earth Sciences","Oceanography","Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/57"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Urbanization in coastal watersheds is becoming an increasingly important issue in the world. Increased impervious surface cover, a factor of urbanization, has drawn more attention to stormwater runoff as a source of contamination to receiving waters. In this study, nitrogen species from rain and stormwater were analyzed across three different landscape types along the Mississippi Sound (hardened, residential, and pristine), as well as from drainage pipes that flow directly into to the Mississippi Sound. Nitrogen stable isotopes were used to trace the stormwater nitrogen to the surface waters and biota within the Sound.
The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of rainwater and stormwater to the nitrogen pool of Mississippi coastal waters, and to the biota present within those waters. All landscape types were found to have variable nitrogen sources in addition to rainwater nitrogen. Stormwater 15NH4 values were always enriched relative to rainwater 15NH4 values. Stormwater in pristine sites consistently had the lowest concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate. Surface water nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the more developed areas compared to waters near the pristine landscape.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characterization of Rain and Stormwater Nitrogen Inputs to the Mississippi Sound: A Landscape Approach"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kevin Dillon","Wei Wu","Scott Milroy"],"dc:creator":["Allen, Joshua Michael"],"dc:date.available":["2014-06-11T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Urbanization in coastal watersheds is becoming an increasingly important issue in the world. Increased impervious surface cover, a factor of urbanization, has drawn more attention to stormwater runoff as a source of contamination to receiving waters. In this study, nitrogen species from rain and stormwater were analyzed across three different landscape types along the Mississippi Sound (hardened, residential, and pristine), as well as from drainage pipes that flow directly into to the Mississippi Sound. Nitrogen stable isotopes were used to trace the stormwater nitrogen to the surface waters and biota within the Sound.
The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of rainwater and stormwater to the nitrogen pool of Mississippi coastal waters, and to the biota present within those waters. All landscape types were found to have variable nitrogen sources in addition to rainwater nitrogen. Stormwater 15NH4 values were always enriched relative to rainwater 15NH4 values. Stormwater in pristine sites consistently had the lowest concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate. Surface water nutrient concentrations were generally higher in the more developed areas compared to waters near the pristine landscape.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/57"],"dc:subject":["stormwater","rainwater","nitrogen","Mississippi Sound","stable isotopes","biogeochemistry","Earth Sciences","Oceanography","Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology","Physical Sciences and Mathematics"],"dc:title":["Characterization of Rain and Stormwater Nitrogen Inputs to the Mississippi Sound: A Landscape Approach"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Coastal Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z"}