Hydrological N export from tropical forests in the Congo Basin

Nitrogen (N) budgets in tropical African forests show higher N inputs than outputs, however forests paradoxically appear to tightly cycle soil N. We try to compare the magnitude and seasonality of aquatic N export from three different forest types in the Congo Basin and to assess dominating N export on a catchment scale. Our preliminary results from a lowland headwater stream show a high loss of PON during storm events. The loss of N as particulate organic N (PON) to streams has been shown to constrain ecosystem level N budgets in other tropical forest systems.