David, M. B., C. A. Mitchell, L. E. Gentry, and R. K. Salemme. 2016. Chloride Sources and Losses in Two Tile-Drained Agricultural Watersheds. J. Environ. Qual. 45:341-348. doi:10.2134/jeq2015.06.0302

agriculture, biological, chemistry, nutrients, pollutant, runoff, watershed

https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/articles/45/1/341

Chloride has long been used as a biogeochemical tracer, but it can also be a pollutant with implications on aquatic biology in high concentrations (typically a result of atmospheric deposition, road salts, and agricultural fertilizer). These researchers collected chloride water quality data over roughly 20 years to better understand chloride biogeochemistry in two agricultural watersheds. Their results show that chloride responds relatively quickly to inputs within tile-drained watersheds, and they imply that nitrate would react similarly.