For the past half century, advances in the field of nitrogen biogeochemistry have improved our understanding of the functioning of riparian areas to reduce nitrogen pollution in aquatic systems. Recent advancements in techniques and theory promise to continue this trend for many years to come. Among the recent advances are improved methods to measure in-situ denitrification, application of stable isotopic approaches, potential novel pathways of nitrogen cycling, and the application of coupling between nitrogen and other elemental cycles (e.g., iron and sulfur). This presentation will focus on these advancements with a general discussion of their importance to future studies of nitrogen biogeochemistry in riparian areas.