TITLE:
Seasonal and Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Nutrients in the Hula Valley after Drainage: A: Nitrogen
AUTHORS:
Moshe Gophen
KEYWORDS:
Peat Soil, Hula Valley, Nitrification, Denitrification, NO3, NH4
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Hydrology,
Vol.15 No.2,
March
11,
2025
ABSTRACT: Among several soil types in the Hula Valley, the Peat soil occupies a significant part of the agricultural cultivation area. Nitrogen compounds comprise a significant constituent of the chemical components. Cultivation in the Hula Peat land is a critical achievement, whereas nitrogen migration downwards into Lake Kinneret is of national concern. Therefore, sites of nitrogen resource location and spatial and temporal dispersion changes of nitrogenic compounds are critical for the design of effective management strategies. A long-term record (1994-2024) of temporal and spatial concentration fluctuations in relation to climate (rain capacity) conditions was statistically reevaluated. The indicated results emphasized soil moisture as the principal factor affecting nitrogen dynamics. This paper represents descriptively a first-class importance of an environmental factor—the fate and consequently management design of the nitrogen dynamics in the Hula Valley beyond wetlands drainage. The natural climate conditions (rainfall) and anthropogenic (irrigation) fluctuations predominate the soil moisture and consequently the fate of nitrogen. Nitrogen dynamics include nitrification, denitrification, nitrogen-fixation, and other nitrogenic processes. Most of the Hula Valley is under agricultural management and the irrigation regime is therefore affected by management control and its design, including water allocation. The outcome of this paper is therefore beneficial for both cultivation and the prevention of pollutant leaking into Lake Kinneret.