Importance of nitrate reduction in benthic carbon mineralization in two eutrophic estuaries: Modeling, observations and laboratory experiments

Overall, the reduction of bottom water nitrate by denitrification to N2 represented 3-13% of the river flux of nitrate in these estuaries in winter and spring, and could reach ~ 50% during summer. These results highlight that nitrate reduction in the sediment attenuate the high river nitrate flux, despite the huge quantities of anthropogenic nitrate discharged by the two rivers to the estuaries.