Nebraska team studies hidden nitrogen and groundwater risk
University of Nebraska researchers received a three-year, $496,722 NSF award to study whether organic nitrogen in deep soils can affect groundwater nitrate years later.
Source review period: 2026-10-09
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The University of Nebraska–Lincoln received a three-year, $496,722 National Science Foundation award to examine whether organic nitrogen stored deep below the root zone can influence groundwater nitrate over time. The team will study whether fertilizer-derived nitrate can react with soil carbon and microbes, become stored in organic forms, and gradually generate nitrate again as those forms break down.
Researchers report that organic nitrogen makes up a large share of the nitrogen stored in Nebraska’s deep vadose zone. A separate effort is evaluating an approach to reduce nitrate in soil before it reaches an aquifer; initial controlled laboratory work was described as promising. Testing across different soils, environmental-safety assessment and regulatory review remain ahead, so the method has not been deployed in fields.
Data
Research and funding
NSF funding will support research into the possible effect of organic nitrogen in deep soils on groundwater nitrate.
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Three-year NSF research award
The University of Nebraska team received $496,722 to study organic nitrogen in deep soils.
Methodology
The date is the source announcement date. The amount is NSF research funding; the work does not yet report a result or field-deployed remediation.
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