Using a soil topographic index to distribute denitrification fluxes across a northeastern headwater catchment

•In situ measures of denitrification were made using the push–pull method.•Annual denitrification rates were well correlated to topographic wetness indices.•Point measurements were scaled-up to a watershed using topographic wetness indices.•Substantial denitrification occurs outside of riparian areas. Riparian zones are considered potential hotspots of denitrification because they allow for the confluence of necessary electron acceptors (nitrate) and donors (carbon) via hydrologic flowpaths in low oxygen (reducing) conditions. While riparian areas have received considerable research attention, other soils prone to saturation have similar physicochemical characteristics but are less frequently studied. We quantified in situ denitrification rates in the shallow saturated zone, a dynamic portion of the landscape, across a range of hydroperiodicities, i.e., frequencies and durations of saturated conditions, as characterized by a topographic index in a small mixed land-use headwater catchment in central New York State. We found a strong positive relationship between topographic index and denitrification, indicating that the highest rates of denitrification occur in the relatively small portion of the landscape prone to saturation. We used the resulting relationship to distribute denitrification rates across the catchment and estimate denitrification fluxes from the shallow saturated zone. While the highest rates of denitrification were observed in wetter portions of the landscape, including riparian zones, we found that the shallow saturated zone beneath drier upland soils contributed to a larger portion of whole-catchment denitrification due to a larger areal extent. A topographic index-denitrification model is a promising and simple tool that allows for scaling of in situ denitrification rates across the landscape and provides insight into the spatial organization of denitrification at the catchment scale.