Theory 77/River & Floodplain/Nitrogen removal
Removal Is Residence Against Uptake
The claim
Riverine nitrogen removal is set by the ratio of residence time to uptake rate, so a slow river with modest uptake removes more than a fast one with high uptake.
01Mechanism
Removal requires contact time; the ratio determines how much of the load is processed before export.
02Prediction
Removal should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Removal tracking uptake rate alone would remove residence.