[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# One hundred and twenty-three years of nitrogen inputs and outputs at a forested watershed in central Appalachia

Peterjohn, 2026, Biogeochemistry — Hydrology

Patterns: [Distinctions](https://dsrpevidence.org/pattern/distinctions), [Systems](https://dsrpevidence.org/pattern/systems), [Relationships](https://dsrpevidence.org/pattern/relationships)

## In short

The study examines how a watershed functions as an integrated system whose long-term outputs depend on historical inputs and a threshold governing nitrogen release.

## What they found (results)

Over 123 years at the Fernow Experimental Forest, stream nitrogen losses remained elevated for approximately a decade after atmospheric nitrogen deposition returned to baseline, with a critical threshold near 16 kg N/ha/yr determining watershed nitrogen export.

These researchers were not testing DSRP. The finding is theirs; the correspondence to DSRP is drawn by this site.

[Source](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-026-01353-9)