Temporal variation of stable isotopic values for dissolved nitrogen compounds in paddy water environment

Vietnam is the second-largest rice exporter worldwide and the amount of applied fertilizer is increasing rapidly in recent years. Overuse of chemical fertilizers in the paddy fields strongly contributes to the pollution of water bodies. This study aimed to understand the temporal variation of nitrogen concentrations and stable isotope values as environmental tracers based on the observed data in a selected paddy field in Vietnam, which provides basic and useful clues for tracing sources and identifying processes of nitrogen. The results from the field survey showed that , in accordance withthe changes in concentrations, δ15N values of ammonium and nitrate in ponded water drastically varied from -3.6‰ to 17.2‰ and from -18.2‰ to 8.5‰, respectively. The present study implied that not only chemical fertilizers but also irrigation water was the major source of nitrogen into the paddy. In addition, microbiological nitrification and denitrification were presumed based on the temporal isotopic variations.