Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Sediment and Nutrient Flux in a Coastal Plain Agricultural Basin, Littlefield, North Carolina

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a 6-month field study conducted in a small coastal plain watershed in eastern North Carolina. The objective was to identify spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment flux under a range of flow conditions in the basin. Although the pollutant concentrations and exports found in this study were, overall, relatively low, a number of problem areas were identified including: (i) cultivated fields, that contributed disproportionately large amounts of nitrate-plus-nitrate to the total basin export due to the leaching of unused nitrogen-based fertilizer, and (ii) devegetated ditch banks, where TSS concentrations were found to be almost three times greater than areas draining crop or pasture.