Sabrina Klick, a candidate for a doctorate in marine-estuarine-environmental sciences, has spent four years measuring various forms of nitrogen and environmental factors in the surface waters of agricultural drainage ditches. Through her research, she has found two seasonal processes that could contribute to urea nitrogen loading into nearby stream networks.
“Urea is a form of dissolved organic nitrogen that is widely used in nitrogen fertilizers applied to crop fields,” Klick said. “Unfortunately, urea-N concentrations in coastal waters have been associated with reduced water quality and the toxicity of certain phytoplankton species in the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Coastal Bays.”
Spring urea-N concentrations, she found, were associated with the fertilization of cornfields while summer concentrations were linked to natural processes from the decomposition of organic matter that often take place in wetland environments.
“Agricultural drainage ditches can dry out and lose connectivity to the stream network during the summer, but a rain event could flush out the accumulated urea-N downstream, which could support an algal bloom,” Klick said.
Because urea-N is not a routinely measured form of nitrogen, her research provides “new information for management and on-going efforts to improve downstream water quality.”
Klick defended her dissertation November 13. The title of her thesis is “Microbial and Environmental Factors Associated with Urea-N Accumulation in Agricultural Drainage Ditches.”
“Sabrina’s work lays the foundation for understanding the role of microbes in nitrogen cycling in drainage ditches. Particularly, she demonstrated how they influence development of urea pulses that may find their way into watersheds, thereby potentially stimulating phytoplankton growth,” said Dr. Joseph Pitula, a professor in UMES’ Department of Natural Sciences and Klick’s advisor.
Klick’s research findings have been accepted for publication in the Journal of Environmental Quality in collaboration with Drs. Joseph Pitula, Amy Collick, Fawzy Hashem, Arthur Allen and Eric May of UMES and Ray Bryant of the USDA-Agriculture Research Service. The article title is, “Seasonal and Temporal Factors leading to Urea-N Accumulation in Surface Waters of Agricultural Drainage Ditches.” DOI.org/10.1002/jeq2.20173
She has also been interviewed for an upcoming feature article in the CSA News magazine, the member magazine for the Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.
Growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania, along Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie, shaped Klick’s interest in aquatic and environmental sciences. Local news reports, she said, commonly included beach closures due to poor water quality. Attending nature camps and enjoying the beaches at Presque Isle State Park from a young age led to her appreciation of water ecosystems and pursuit of a degree in marine biology.
She holds a master’s degree in biology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of New England. Her doctoral area of specialization is environmental molecular biology/biotechnology.
Following her December graduation, Klick will be a postdoctoral researcher in Hashem’s lab in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Sciences. She ultimately aspires to be a research scientist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications and media associate, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 410-621-3850, gcstephens@umes.edu.
