Hurricanes are one of the most common natural events that disturb estuarine and coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico. The episodic and energetic events of hurricanes modify wetland hydrodynamics, sedimentation, and vegetation structure, which can impact the connectivity of coastal deltaic floodplains in processing riverine nutrients. Hurricane effects on benthic nitrogen dynamics and their fluxes during ecosystem recovery following an event were investigated at three experimental sites with distinct sediment organic matter (SOM) concentrations (lower-, intermediate-, and higher-SOM) in Wax Lake Delta (WLD), Louisiana. Intact sediment cores were incubated with ¹⁵NO₃⁻ enrichment prior to, 1 month, 2 years, and 3 years post Hurricane Barry. The disturbance of Hurricane Barry on benthic nitrogen dynamics was most significant at the higher-SOM site, where SOM concentrations significantly decreased together with a 50% reduction in rates of direct denitrification, coupled nitrification-denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Shifts in SOM and benthic nitrogen dynamics as result of hurricane sedimentation followed the linear function between increased denitrification (or NO₃⁻ fluxes) with greater SOM concentrations previously established by sampling along SOM gradients in WLD. The estimated NO₃⁻ removal capacity decreased by 8.5% (76 Mg N year⁻¹) compared to pre-hurricane conditions due to lower SOM concentrations associated with mineral sedimentation at the most disturbed site. The disturbed site had not recovered to pre-hurricane conditions in terms of SOM concentrations and benthic nitrogen dynamics three years after Hurricane Barry. NO₃⁻ removal capacity of an active delta such as WLD is a combination of SOM increase from ecological succession and SOM decrease associated with events that stimulate mineral deposition. Frequency of high energy events such as floods and storms along with wetland feedback in soil organic development and delta expansion will influence NO₃⁻ removal capacity.

飓风是扰乱墨西哥湾沿岸河口和沿海湿地的最常见自然事件之一。飓风的间歇性和能量事件改变了湿地的水动力、沉积和植被结构，这可能会影响沿海三角洲洪泛区在处理河流养分时的连通性。在蜡湖三角洲 (WLD) 具有不同沉积物有机质 (SOM) 浓度（低、中和高 SOM）的三个实验地点，研究了飓风对事件后生态系统恢复过程中底栖氮动态及其通量的影响，路易斯安那州。^{完整的沉积物核心与15} NO ₃一起孵育^-巴里飓风之前、1 个月、2 年和 3 年之后的浓缩。飓风巴里对底栖氮动态的干扰在 SOM 较高的地点最为显着，其中 SOM 浓度显着下降，同时直接反硝化、耦合硝化-反硝化和异化硝酸盐还原为铵 (DNRA) 的速率降低 50% 。飓风沉积导致的 SOM 和底栖氮动态变化遵循反硝化作用（或 NO ₃ ^-通量）增加与先前通过沿 WLD 中 SOM 梯度采样建立的更高 SOM 浓度之间的线性函数。预计NO ₃ ⁻去除能力下降8.5%（76 Mg N 年⁻¹）与飓风前的情况相比，由于受干扰最严重的地点与矿物沉积相关的 SOM 浓度较低。飓风巴里三年后，受干扰地点的 SOM 浓度和底栖氮动态尚未恢复到飓风前的状况。活跃三角洲（例如 WLD）的NO ₃ ^{-去除能力是生态演替导致的 SOM 增加和与刺激矿物沉积事件相关的 SOM 减少的结合。}洪水和风暴等高能量事件的频率以及土壤有机发育和三角洲扩张中的湿地反馈将影响NO ₃ ^-去除能力。