Wetlands are typical groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) which require access to groundwater on a permanent or intermittent basis to maintain the ecological processes and ecosystem services. Alterations in hydrologic regimes resulting from climate change, such as drought followed by flooding, can be a contributing factor to changes in wetland functions and biogeochemical processes. The field-scale biogeochemical behavior of nitrogen was investigated at wetland sediment depths. In addition, the interaction between overlying water and groundwater using environmental tracers and groundwater-level monitoring in wetland areas were studied to evaluate the hydrological effects on the nitrogen biogeochemical process in the Baekseokje wetlands in Korea. Bacterial enzyme activity and microbial functional genes related to nitrogen behavior were analyzed at the sediment depth during both dry and monsoon seasons.
