DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4tmpg4fhr
title: Wetlands as a potential multi-functioning tool to mitigate eutrophication and brownification

description: Eutrophication and brownification are ongoing environmental problems
 affecting aquatic ecosystems. Due to anthropogenic changes, increasing
 amounts of organic and inorganic compounds are entering aquatic systems
 from surrounding catchment areas, increasing both nutrients, total organic
 carbon (TOC), and water color with societal, as well as ecological
 consequences. Several studies have focused on the ability of wetlands to
 reduce nutrients, whereas data on their potential to reduce TOC and water
 color is scarce. Here we evaluate wetlands as a potential multi-functional
 tool for mitigating both eutrophication and brownification. Therefore, we
 performed a study over 18 months in nine wetlands allowing us to estimate
 the reduction in concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus
 (TP), TOC, and water color. We show that wetland reduction efficiency with
 respect to these variables was generally higher during summer, but many of
 the wetlands were also efficient during winter. We also show that some,
 but not all, wetlands have the potential to reduce TOC, water color, and
 nutrients simultaneously. However, the generalist wetlands that reduced
 all four parameters were less efficient in reducing each of them than the
 specialist wetlands that only reduced one or two parameters. In a broader
 context, generalist wetlands have the potential to function as
 multi-functional tools to mitigate both eutrophication and brownification
 of aquatic systems. However, further research is needed to assess the
 design of the generalist wetlands and to investigate the potential of
 using several specialist wetlands in the same catchment.
description: The data was collected once a month over 18 months (April 2020 -
 September 2021) from 9 wetlands. Water samples were collected from the
 inlet and outlet of the wetlands each month and analysed for total
 phosphorus, total nitrogen, total organic carbon, and water color.
 Simultaneously, flow (m/s) and water area of the inlet and outlet were
 measured. Furthermore, analysis of the catchment and land use was
 performed. For detailed method description, see connected
 article. 
description: # Wetlands as a potential multi-functioning tool to mitigate
 eutrophication and brownification
 **General information**
 Contains data from 9 different wetlands measured over 18 months. The
 measurements were taken in both the inlet (inflow) and outlet (outflow) of
 all wetlands. During periods, some wetlands were dried out or frozen
 resulting in no water being collected and therefore no measurements could
 be performed during those months, this is denoted with NA in the datasets.
 Wetlands (N): 9\ Sample/measure interval: monthly\ Sample/measurement
 duration: 18 months (April 2020 until September 2021)\ Wetland location:
 Scania, Sweden\ Wetland catchment: All nine wetlands differed in catchment
 size and composition\ File types: Excel working sheet\ Months not possible
 to sample wetlands are denoted with NA. Units in datasets: \ µg/L (total
 phosphorus)\ mg/L (total nitrogen and \ total organic carbon)\ mgPt/L
 (water color)\ hectares/ha (catchment and land use)\ metres/m (wetland
 overview)\ m3/s (water flow) #### Description of the data and file
 structure *Title of dataset:* Water chemistry\ The dataset contains
 monthly measured concentrations of water color (mgPt/L), total phosphorus
 (µg/L), total nitrogen (mg/L) and total organic carbon (mg/L) from the in-
 and outlet of 9 wetlands over 18 months. The 9 wetlands are separated in 9
 different tabs in the excel sheet. There are nine tabs in the dataset,
 each tab contains information on one specific wetland. Concentrations of
 total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total organic carbon and water color is
 shown for both inflow and outflow, for all wetlands. Abbreviations:\ Total
 phosphorus = TP\ Total nitrogen = TN\ Total organic carbon = TOC\ IN =
 Inlet/Inflow\ OUT = Outlet/Outflow\ NA = not available, not possible to
 sample the wetland during that month If the wetlands had either dried out
 or were completely frozen water could not be collected for that month and
 it is denoted with NA in the dataset. *Title of dataset:
 Wetlands_waterflow*\ The dataset contains water flow (m3/s) from the in-
 and outlet of 9 different wetlands, measured monthly over 18 months. There
 are nine tabs in the dataset, each tab contains information on one
 specific wetland. Abbreviations:\ IN = Inlet/inflow\ OUT = Outlet/outflow\
 NA = not available, not possible to sample the wetland during that month
 If the wetlands had either dried out or were completely frozen water could
 not be collected for that month and it is denoted with NA in the dataset.
 *Title of dataset: Wetlands_catchment*\ The dataset contains three tabs;
 wetland overview, wetland catchment and wetland land use\ In the tab
 wetland overview, general information about the wetlands is shared, such
 as depth and if the wetland is a part or whole flow wetland. Part flow
 means that only part of the water is directed through the wetland whereas
 whole flow means that all water is directed through the wetland. In the
 tab wetland catchment, information on the catchment area for each wetland
 is shared. In this tab there is information about soil layer as well as
 forested/agricultural areas. Furthermore, in the tab wetland land use, the
 land use in the catchment area is shown. When there are missing values in
 the tab wetland catchment and wetland land use, it is because there may
 not be that specific soil or land use in the catchment area or that it was
 not possible to determine. #### Sharing/Access information The catchment
 area for the nine wetlands was determined through depressions of the sink
 filled 2 m Digital elevation model (DEM) of Sweden
 (). Data of the elevation map and land use for the nine wetlands was obtained from Lantmäteriets open data portal: