Nitrogen attenuation in the Connecticut River,northeastern USA; a comparison of mass balance and N<Subscript>2</Subscript> production modeling approaches

Two methods were used to measure in-stream nitrogen loss in the Connecticut River during studies conducted in April and August 2005. A mass balance on nitrogen inputs and output for two study reaches (55 and 66 km), at spring high flow and at summer low flow, was computed on the basis of total nitrogen concentrations and measured river discharges in the Connecticut River and its tributaries. In a 10.3 km subreach of the northern 66 km reach, concentrations of dissolved N₂ were also measured during summer low flow and compared to modeled N₂ concentrations (based on temperature and atmospheric gas exchange rates) to determine the measured “excess” N₂ that indicates denitrification. Mass balance results showed no in-stream nitrogen loss in either reach during April 2005, and no nitrogen loss in the southern 55 km study reach during August 2005. In the northern 66 km reach during August 2005, however, nitrogen output was 18% less than the total nitrogen inputs to the reach. N₂ sampling results gave an estimated rate of N₂ production that would remove 3.3% of the nitrogen load in the river over the 10.3 km northern sub-reach. The nitrogen losses measured in the northern reach in August 2005 may represent an approximate upper limit for nitrogen attenuation in the Connecticut River because denitrification processes are most active during warm summer temperatures and because the study was performed during the annual low-flow period when total nitrogen loads are small.     

Macrophyte presence is an indicator of enhanced denitrification and nitrification in sediments of a temperate restored agricultural stream

Stream macrophytes are often removed with their sediments to deepen stream channels, stabilize channel banks, or provide habitat for target species. These sediments may support enhanced nitrogen processing. To evaluate sediment nitrogen processing, identify seasonal patterns, and assess sediment processes relative to stream load, we measured denitrification and nitrification rates in a restored third- to fourth-order agricultural stream, Black Earth Creek, Wisconsin, and estimated processing over a 10 km reach. Our results show that sediments with submerged and emergent macrophytes (e.g., Potomageton spp. and Phalaris arudinacea) support greater denitrification rates than bare sediments (1.12 μmol N g⁻¹ h⁻¹ vs. 0.29). Sediments with macrophytes were not carbon limited and organic matter fraction was weakly correlated to denitrification. The highest denitrification potential occurred in macrophyte beds (5.19 μmol N g⁻¹ h⁻¹). Nitrification rates were greater in emergent beds than bare sediments (1.07 μg N ml⁻¹day⁻¹ vs. 0.35) with the greatest nitrification rates during the summer. Total denitrification removal in sediments with macrophytes was equivalent to 43% of the nitrate stream load (463.7 kg N day⁻¹) during spring and nitrification in sediments with macrophytes was equivalent to 247% of summer ammonium load (3.5 kg N day⁻¹). Although the in-channel connectivity to nitrogen rich water was limited, actual stream nitrogen loads could increase with removal of macrophytes. Macrophyte beds and supporting fringing wetted areas are important if nitrogen management is a concern for riparian stream restoration efforts.     

Physicochemical limnology of the Tongue River Reservoir,Montana

A one year physicochemical survey was conducted on the Tongue River Reservoir, a run of the river impoundment in southeastern Montana. The Tongue River was the only significant inflow and supplied 93, 96 and 97% of the nutrient, major ion and water inputs to the impoundment. Heat advected from inflowing water accounted for 17% of the energy gained during the summer heating cycle. The annual nutrient load to the reservoir from the river was 20.2 g m^–2 total nitrogen (TN) and 3.8 g m^–2 total phosphorus (TP). Due to the absence of reducing conditions at depth and the complex seasonal pattern of water movement through the reservoir, 99% of the TN load was discharged but 49% of the TP load was retained in the reservoir.     

三峡水库175 m试验性蓄水期库区及其上游江段鱼类群落结构时空分布格局

根据2010—2012年在三峡水库及其上游江段5个江段的商业性渔获物调查结果,对该区域鱼类群落结构的时空分布格局进行了分析。调查中共收集到鱼类87种,隶属于8目18科63属。沿坝前江段溯河而上至库尾以上流水江段,鱼类种类数逐渐增加。采用聚类分析(CA)和非度量多维标度(NMDS)方法对三峡水库175 m试验性蓄水期间各江段的鱼类种类组成进行分析,发现这5个调查江段的鱼类种类组成可以分为两个类群:类群Ⅰ包括秭归、巫山、云阳3个库区的江段,其鱼类种类组成在各年间的差异程度较大;而类群Ⅱ包括库尾的涪陵江段以及上游的江津江段,其鱼类种类组成在各年间差异程度较小。采用CA和NMDS方法对鱼类群落结构时空分布格局的分析结果表明,5个调查江段的鱼类群落结构在各年间可以分为不同类群;云阳与涪陵江段的鱼类群落结构的相似性逐年增加,而与秭归、巫山江段的相似性逐年减少;涪陵江段与江津江段的鱼类群落结构相似性也呈逐年减少趋势。总体而言,175m试验性蓄水对库中和库尾江段的鱼类群落结构的影响较大,但对库首以及库尾以上流水江段的影响均较小。     

Net sediment N2 fluxes in a southern New England estuary: variations in space and time

Over the past three decades, Narragansett Bay has undergone various ecological changes, including significant decreases in water column chlorophyll a concentrations, benthic oxygen uptake, and benthic nutrient regeneration rates. To add to this portrait of change, we measured the net flux of N₂ across the sediment–water interface over an annual cycle using the N₂/Ar technique at seven sites in the bay for comparison with measurements made decades ago. Net denitrification rates ranged from about 10–90 μmol N₂–N m^?2 h^?1 over the year. Denitrification rates were not significantly different among sites and had no clear correlation with temperature. Net nitrogen fixation (?5 to ?650 μmol N₂–N m^?2 h^?1) was measured at three sites and only observed in summer (June–August). Neither denitrification nor nitrogen fixation exhibited a consistent relationship with sediment oxygen demand or with fluxes of nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, total dissolved inorganic nitrogen, or dissolved inorganic phosphate across all stations. In contrast to the mid-bay historical site where denitrification rates have declined, denitrification rates in the Providence River Estuary have not changed significantly over the past 30 years.     

The influence of cyanobacteria blooms on the attenuation of nitrogen throughputs in a Baltic coastal lagoon

We combined a mass balance approach with measurements of air–water and sediment–water nitrogen (N) exchange to better understand the mechanisms attenuating N throughputs in a eutrophic coastal lagoon. We were particularly interested in how seasonal shifts in external versus internal N fluxes and the transition from diatom- to cyanobacteria- dominated phytoplankton communities influence N storage and loss to the atmosphere. We found that on an annual basis almost all of the N removed by the lagoon was due to sediment storage following the spring diatom bloom. This period was characterized by high riverine inputs of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, high rates of assimilatory conversion to particulate nitrogen (PN), and net accrual of N in sediments. By contrast, the larger summer bloom was associated with low sediment N storage, which we attribute in part to the presence of positively-buoyant cyanobacteria. Low settling rates during cyanobacteria blooms favored export of PN to the Baltic Sea over sediment accrual in the lagoon. In addition, summer dinitrogen (N₂) fixation by cyanobacteria largely offset annual N₂ losses via denitrification. These findings show that cyanobacteria blooms diminish N attenuation within the lagoon by altering the balance of N exchange with the atmosphere and by promoting export of particulate N over sediment burial.     

Nitrification, denitrification, and nitrate ammonification in sediments of two coastal lagoons in Southern France

Summary Seasonal and diurnal variations in sediment-water fluxes of O₂, NO ₃ ^– , and NH ₄ ⁺ as well as rates of nitrification, denitrification, and nitrate ammonification were determined in two different coastal lagoons of southern France: The seagrass (Zostera noltii) dominated tidal Bassin d'Arcachon and the dystrophic Etang du Prévost. Overall, denitrification rates in both Bassin d'Arcachon (<0.4 mmol m^–2 d^–1) and Etang du Prévost (<1 mmol m^–2 d^–1) were low. This was mainly caused by a combination of low NO ₃ ^– concentrations in the water column and a low nitrification activity within the sediment. In both Bassin d'Arcachon and Etang du Prévost, rates of nitrate ammonification were quantitatively as important as denitrification.Denitrification played a minor role as a nitrogen sink in both systems. In the tidal influenced Bassin d'Arcachon, Z. noltii was quantitatively more important than denitrification as a nitrogen sink due to the high assimilation rates of the plants. Throughout the year, Z. noltii stabilized the mudflats of the bay by its well- developed root matrix and controlled the nitrogen cycle due to its high uptake rates. In contrast, the lack of rooted macrophytes, and dominance of floating macroalgae, made nitrogen cycling in Etang du Prévost more unstable and unpredictable. Inhibition of nitrification and denitrification during the dystrophic crisis in the summer time increased the inorganic nitrogen flux from the sediment to the water column and thus increased the degree of benthic-pelagic coupling within this bay. During winter, however, benthic microalgae colonizing the sediment surface changed the sediment in the lagoon from being a nitrogen source to the over lying water to being a sink due to their high assimilation rates. It is likely, however, that this assimilated nitrogen is liberated to the water column at the onset of summer thereby fueling the extensive growth of the floating macroalgae, Ulva sp. The combination of a high nitrogen coupling between sediment and water column, little water exchange and low denitrification rates resulted in an unstable system with fast growing algal species such as phytoplankton and floating algae.     

Short-term influence of recolonisation by the polycheate worm [2pt] Nereis succinea on oxygen and nitrogen fluxes and [2pt] denitrification: a microcosm simulation

The short-term effects of sediment recolonisation by Nereis succinea on sediment-water column fluxes of oxygen and dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and rates of denitrification, were studied in microcosms of homogenised, sieved sediments. The added worms enhanced oxygen uptake by the sediments, due to the increased surface area provided by the burrow walls and the degree of stimulation was stable with time. Similarly, ammonium fluxes to the water column were stimulated by N. succinea, but declined over the 3 day incubation in all microcosms including the controls. Nitrate fluxes were generally greater in the faunated microcosms, but highly variable with time. Denitrification rates were positively stimulated by N. succinea populations, denitrification of water column nitrate was stimulated 10-fold in comparison to denitrification coupled to nitrification in the sediments. Rates of denitrification of water column nitrate were not significantly different from rates in undisturbed sediment cores with similar densities of N. succinea, whereas rates of coupled nitrification–denitrification were 3-fold lower in the experimental set-up. These results may reflect the relative growth rates of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, which allow more rapid colonisation of new burrow surfaces by denitrifier compared to nitrifier populations. The data indicate that recolonisation by burrowing macrofauna of the highly reduced sediments of the Sacca di Goro, Lagoon, Italy, following the annual dystrophic crisis, may play a significant role in the reoxidation and detoxification of the sediments. The increased rates of denitrification associated with the worm burrows, may promote nitrogen losses, but due to the low capacity of nitrifying bacteria to colonise the new burrow structures, these losses would be highly dependent upon water column nitrate concentrations.     

Denitrification in Lake Kinneret in the presence of oxygen*

SUMMARY. Denitrification experiments under anaerobic and aerated conditions were carried out in the laboratory with Lake Kinneret water and with pure cultures of the denitrifying bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 Kin isolated from the lake. Although losses of nitrogen in Lake Kinneret due to denitrification have been found to occur during periods when dissolved oxygen exceeded 5 mg l^?1 it was found that under aerated conditions glucose as a carbon source must be added in order to get denitrification in the laboratory. Disappearance of nitrogen during the experiments was due to denitrification as shown by the nitrogen balance calculated for each sampling. The ATP content showed that no proliferation of cells took place during the experiment. The rate of denitrification was strongly influenced by and was directly proportional to nitrate concentrations. Temperature has a very slight effect on the denitrification rate. Q₁₀ for the range 15–30°C was 1.35. The role of denitrification in the nitrogen balance of Lake Kinneret is discussed.     

Production of NO and N2O by the Heterotrophic Nitrifier Alcaligenes faecalis parafaecalis under Varying Conditions of Oxygen Saturation

Production of NO and N ₂ O by the heterotrophic nitrifier Alcaligenes faecalis subsp. parafaecalis was studied during growth in batch and continuous culture on peptone-meat extract medium. Depending on oxygen saturation level, medium redox status and amount of substrate supplied, the microorganisms produced 0.002–0.25 mg NO-N h^{- 1} (g protein)^{- 1} and 0.16–2.4 mg N ₂ O-N h^{- 1} (g protein)^{- 1} . Maximum rates of nitrogen oxides production were observed during peak events initiated by sudden changes of oxygen supply in the medium and were due to combined nitrification/denitrification taking place simultaneously within the cells. Based on model simulations of enzymatic kinetics of denitrification, possible mechanisms of increased nitrogen oxides production during periods of changes in oxygen supply are suggested.     

耐高浓度氨氮的异养硝化好氧反硝化菌株U1的鉴定及其脱氮特性

【背景】城市垃圾渗滤液是一种成分复杂的有机废水,含氮量高,如果未经处理直接排放到环境中会造成严重的环境污染。【目的】筛选可以耐受垃圾渗滤液中高浓度氨氮并高效去除污水中氮素的异养硝化好氧反硝化菌株,为解决垃圾渗滤液的氮素污染提供功能菌株。【方法】从垃圾渗滤液中筛选分离能耐受高氨氮浓度的菌株,通过测定各菌株的脱氮能力,筛选到一株脱氮能力最强的菌株,命名为U1,通过测定16S rRNA基因序列和生理生化特性确定该菌株为铜绿假单胞菌。进一步研究了菌株U1在不同初始氨氮浓度、碳源、转速、初始pH、碳氮比等单因素变量下的脱氮能力,并结合L₉（3⁴）正交试验研究了菌株U1的最佳脱氮条件。【结果】分离出一株铜绿假单胞菌并命名为U1。该菌株的最优脱氮条件为:初始氨氮浓度为1 000 mg/L,红糖和柠檬酸三钠的混合碳源,pH 6.0,C/N为10,转速为130 r/min,菌株U1的最大总氮去除率为64.37%,最大氨氮去除率为76.73%。对于总氮和氨氮含量分别是2 345 mg/L和1 473.8 mg/L的垃圾渗滤液,菌株U1最大总氮去除率为27.86%...     

以N-甲基吡咯烷酮(NMP)为电子供体进行反硝化的可行性及实验研究

【目的】利用N-甲基吡咯烷酮(N-methylpyrrolidone, NMP)作为电子供体进行反硝化实验,以实现废水资源化。【方法】分别将NMP废水和葡萄糖作为电子供体加入到模拟的城市污水处理尾水中进行反硝化,比较2种电子供体去除硝酸盐的规律。同时考查NMP在反硝化过程中的氮素释放规律,并对所释放的氮素进行后续处理。最后再对它们作为电子供体时的反硝化污泥采用高通量测序,从微生物群落的角度分析NMP作为电子供体时其作用机理是否相同。【结果】当以NMP为电子供体时,硝酸盐氮的去除速率比葡萄糖为电子供体时要快67%。在8 h的反硝化结束后,剩余的硝酸盐氮、累积的亚硝酸盐氮和NMP本身所释放氨氮之和的总氮,与葡萄糖为电子供体时相近。【结论】NMP废水可以作为电子供体用于城镇污水处理厂的深度脱氮。对2种碳源所驯化的反硝化污泥样品进行高通量分析表明,NMP与葡萄糖作为电子供体用于反硝化反应时,相关的作用机理是不同的。该项研究结果对利用含氮杂环化合物作为电子供体进行反硝化具有重要的理论指导意义。     

双阳极室甲烷微生物燃料电池同步脱氮除硫性能及微生物群落分析

【背景】甲烷厌氧氧化(anaerobic oxidation of methane, AOM)包含反硝化型甲烷厌氧氧化和硫酸盐还原型甲烷厌氧氧化。目前,人们向水体中排放过量的含氮及含硫污染物,引起了严重的环境污染和生态破坏。【目的】利用甲烷厌氧氧化微生物燃料电池(microbial fuel cell, MFC)研究同步脱氮除硫耦合反应机理及反应过程中微生物的多样性信息。【方法】构建了3个微生物燃料电池(N-S-MFC、N-MFC、S-MFC),以甲烷作为唯一碳源,探究其同步脱氮除硫性能,并采用16S rRNA基因高通量测序技术对微生物群落结构进行分析。【结果】N-S-MFC中硝酸盐和硫酸盐的去除率分别为90.91%和18.46%。阳极室中微生物的相对丰度提高,与反硝化及硫酸盐还原菌相关的微生物大量富集,如门水平上拟杆菌门(Bacteroidota)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和脱硫杆菌门(Desulfobacterota),同时属水平上Methylobacterium＿Methylorubrum、Methylocaldum、Methylomonas等常见的甲烷氧化菌增多。【结论...     

EFFECTS OF CLIPPING AND FOUR LEVELS OF NITROGEN ON THE GAS EXCHANGE,GROWTH, AND PRODUCTION OF TWO EAST AFRICAN GRAMINOIDS

Kyllinga nervosa and Themeda triandra plants were subjected to different clipping and nitrogen availability regimes. Following an extended period of growth under these conditions, total biomass, gas exchange and several morphological parameters were measured. Kyllinga nervosa showed compensatory growth to moderate levels of clipping whereas any clipping reduced the total biomass of T. triandra. Unclipped plants of either species were unable to respond to increased levels of nitrogen. Clipped plants responded in an ambiguous fashion, with increased allocation to offtake (material removed by clipping) in both species. Total biomass of K. nervosa was highest at 15 mM nitrogen levels which are equivalent to field levels. Both photosynthesis and respiration rates were unaffected by nitrogen treatments. Photosynthesis was significantly reduced by the most severe clipping regime of K. nervosa, but was unaffected by clipping of T. triandra.     

Denitrification in a meromictic lake and its relevance to nitrogen flows within a moderately impacted forested catchment

We analysed the spatial and temporal variability of benthic nitrogen fluxes and denitrification rates in a sub-alpine meromictic lake (Lake Idro, Italy), and compared in-lake nitrogen retention and loss with the net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to the watershed. We hypothesized a low nitrogen retention and denitrification capacity due to meromixis. This results from nitrate supply from the epilimnion slowing down during stratification and oxygen deficiency inhibiting nitrification and promoting ammonium recycling and its accumulation. We also hypothesized a steep vertical gradient of sedimentary denitrification capacity, decreasing with depth and oxygen deficiency. These are important and understudied issues in inland waters, as climate change and direct anthropic pressures may increase the extent of meromixis. Nearshore sediments had high denitrification rates (87 mg m^?2 day^?1) and efficiency (~ 100%), while in the monimolimnion denitrification was negligible. The littoral zone, covering 10% of the lake surface, contributed ~50% of total denitrification, while the monimolimnion, which covered 70% of the sediment surface, contributed to < 13% of total denitrification. The persistent and expanding meromixis of Lake Idro is expected to further decrease its nitrogen removal capacity (31% of the incoming nitrogen load) compared to what has been measured in other temperate lakes. Values up to 60% are generally reported for other such lakes. Results of this study are relevant as the combination of anthropogenic pressures, climate change and meromixis may threaten the nitrogen processing capacity of lakes.     

Metagenomic analysis reveals distinct patterns of denitrification gene abundance across soil moisture,nitrate gradients

This study coupled a landscape-scale metagenomic survey of denitrification gene abundance in soils with in situ denitrification measurements to show how environmental factors shape distinct denitrification communities that exhibit varying denitrification activity. Across a hydrologic gradient, the distribution of total denitrification genes (nap/nar + nirK/nirS + cNor/qNor + nosZ) inferred from metagenomic read abundance exhibited no consistent patterns. However, when genes were considered independently, nirS, cNor and nosZ read abundance was positively associated with areas of higher soil moisture, higher nitrate and higher annual denitrification rates, whereas nirK and qNor read abundance was negatively associated with these factors. These results suggest that environmental conditions, in particular soil moisture and nitrate, select for distinct denitrification communities that are characterized by differential abundance of genes encoding apparently functionally redundant proteins. In contrast, taxonomic analysis did not identify notable variability in denitrifying community composition across sites. While the capacity to denitrify was ubiquitous across sites, denitrification genes with higher energetic costs, such as nirS and cNor, appear to confer a selective advantage in microbial communities experiencing more frequent soil saturation and greater nitrate inputs. This study suggests metagenomics can help identify denitrification hotspots that could be protected or enhanced to treat non-point source nitrogen pollution.     

Predicting concentration of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a in a lake with short hydraulic residence time

The relationship between total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentration was determined for Skinner Lake, Indiana over an annual cycle in 1978–79. Total nitrogen:total phosphorus ratios in the epilimnion ranged from 19 to 220 suggesting a phosphorus-dependent algal yield in the epilimnion. Approximately 90% of annual TP loading reached the lake via streamflow, and 93% of this entered during snowmelt and spring-overturn periods. At that time incoming water flushed the lake 2.4 times. Atmospheric loading accounted for 1.4% of annual TP load. Internal hypolimnetic TP loading occurred during summer stratification. Mean [chl a] for the ice-free period was 15.15 mg m^–3, within the range expected for eutrophic lakes.The 1978–79 data were used in conjuction with the Vollenweider & Kerekes (1980) model to produce a model specific for the Skinner Lake system. The model predicted mean epilimnetic total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations from mean total phosphorus concentration in inlet streams and from lake water residence time during the period of spring overturn and summer stratification. The Skinner-specific model was tested in 1982 and it closely predicted observed mean epilimnetic [TP] and [chl a] during the ice-free period. This study shows that variability in lake models which average data over an annual period can be reduced by considering lake-specific seasonal variation in hydrology and external TP loading.     

Aspects of the phosphorus cycle in Hartbeespoort Dam (South Africa) Phosphorus loading and seasonal distribution of phosphorus in the reservoir

Hartbeespoort Dam, a hypertrophic, warm monomictic impoundment in South Africa, receives extremely high phosphorus loads (14.6–25.9 g m^–2 a^–1) that are dominated by point source discharges from municipal wastewater treatment works. The reduced state of the phosphorus discharged from the works has led to the dominance of the dissolved phosphorus pool by low molecular weight orthophosphates which are analytically detectable as soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP; 60% of total phosphorus pool). Seasonality in the in-lake total phosphorus pool is regulated by a combination of abiotic and hydrological processes; biotic processes appear to play a minor role. Mass balance calculations indicate that between 62 and 77% of the annual total phosphorus inflow load is retained within the impoundment each year.     

DISTRIBUTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF BLUE-GREEN ALGAL NITROGEN FIXATION ALONG A THERMOGRADIENT1

The capacity of thermal algal-bacterial mats to fix nitrogen (N₂) was examined in an alkaline thermal stream, Rabbit Creek, of Yellowstone National Park. Nitrogenase activity and nitrogen-fixation rates of mat cores placed in serum bottles and incubated in situ were estimated by the acetylene-reduction technique. Active nitrogenase was not detected at 60 or 65 C in either the blue-green algal or bacterial undermat components of the mats. Acetylene was reduced by all mats ≤55 C along the thermogradient; mean fixation estimates for the mats ranged from 7 to 5,028 nmoles N₂ fixed · mg Chl a^?1· hr^?1. Maximum fixation occurred at 35 C in the stream; statistical comparison of mean rates ordered the thermogradient mats according to estimated activities: 35 > 40 > 30 > 50 ≥ 55 ≥ 45 C. Mats (≤40 C) dominated by species of Calothrix accounted for ca. 97% of the total nitrogen fixation observed in the stream; the remaining activity was associated with mats containing Mastigocladus laminosus Cohn. Light intensity significantly affected fixation rates of the Calothrix mats which responded in a linear fashion from 9–100% full sunlight (ca. 1,900 μEin · m^?2· sec^?1). Calothrix mats from 30 and 40 C had maximum nitrogenase activity at their growth temperature suggesting that nitrogen fixation along the thermogradient was optimally adapted to in situ temperatures.     

Habitat use by fishes after tidal reconnection of an impounded estuarine wetland in the Indian River Lagoon,Florida (USA)

Most of the wetlands located along the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) ineast-central Florida (USA) have been impounded since the 1950's and1960's to reduce mosquito reproduction. Impounded marsh (i.e.,impoundment) dikes physically separate the wetlands from the estuary toallow artificial flooding of the impoundments during the mosquito breedingperiod (May to October). Presently, Rotational ImpoundmentManagement (RIM) is the preferred impoundment management techniquein the IRL. Impoundments maintained under RIM have culverts installedthrough the dikes which are kept closed during the mosquito breedingseason (to control mosquitos) and are allowed to remain open for theremainder of the year (to allow tidal flow). A 24.3 ha impoundment8 km north of Sebastian Inlet that had been isolated from the IRL for over39 years was studied for 12 months to determine habitat use by fishes aftertidal reconnection and the implementation of RIM. Fish sampling wasconducted with a seine in the perimeter ditch and with clover and minnowtraps in the upper marsh and tidal creek areas of the impoundment. Waterlevel, impoundment bottom topography, and the seasonal nursery functionof the impoundment were factors that contributed to observed patterns offish habitat use during the study. Within the first 15 weeks of perimeterditch sampling, an increase from 9 to 40 species was observed. Transientspecies used the perimeter ditch almost exclusively and entered theimpoundment primarily during the spring open period. Juvenile Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus), Elops saurus Linnaeus, Centropomusundecimalis (Bloch), and Megalops atlanticus Valenciennes were themost abundant recreationally important species, respectively. Habitat useby the most abundant resident species (Gambusia holbrooki Girard,Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur), Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède, andFundulus confluentus Goode & Bean) was influenced primarily bywater level fluctuations. Resident species used the upper marsh and tidalcreek habitats during summer flooded periods and the cyprinodontids leftthe interior surface of the impoundment last as water levels decreased. Thisstudy is the first to document the recovery of fish populations in areconnected impoundment north of Sebastian Inlet using both active andpassive sampling techniques.