Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Variations in source apportionments of nutrient load among seasons and hydrological years in a semi-arid watershed: GWLF model results

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Quantifying source apportionments of nutrient load and their variations among seasons and hydrological years can provide useful information for watershed nutrient load reduction programs. There are large seasonal and inter-annual variations in nutrient loads and their sources in semi-arid watersheds that have a monsoon climate. The Generalized Watershed Loading Function model was used to simulate monthly nutrient loads from 2004 to 2011 in the Liu River watershed, Northern China. Model results were used to investigate nutrient load contributions from different sources, temporal variations of source apportionments and the differences in the behavior of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Examination of source apportionments for different seasons showed that point sources were the main source of TN and TP in the non-flood season, whereas contributions from diffuse sources, such as rural runoff, soil erosion, and urban areas, were much higher in the flood season. Furthermore, results for three typical hydrological years showed that the contribution ratios of nutrient loads from point sources increased as streamflow decreased, while contribution ratios from rural runoff and urban area increased as streamflow increased. Further, there were significant differences between TN and TP sources on different time scales. Our findings suggest that priority actions and management measures should be changed for different time periods and hydrological conditions, and that different strategies should be used to reduce loads of nitrogen and phosphorus effectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguilera R, Marce R, Sabater S (2012) Linking in-stream nutrient flux to land use and inter-annual hydrological variability at the watershed scale. Sci Total Environ 440:72–81

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akter A, Babel MS (2012) Hydrological modeling of the Mun River basin in Thailand. J Hydrol 452:232–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borah DK, Yagow G, Saleh A, Barnes PL, Rosenthal W, Krug EC, Hauck LM (2006) Sediment and nutrient modeling for TMDL development and implementation. T Asabe 49:967–986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen HY, Teng YG, Wang JS (2013) Load estimation and source apportionment of nonpoint source nitrogen and phosphorus based on integrated application of SLURP model, ECM, and RUSLE: a case study in the Jinjiang River, China. Environ Monit Assess 185:2009–2021

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deviney FA, Brown DE, Rice KC (2012) Evaluation of Bayesian estimation of a hidden continuous-time Markov chain model with application to threshold violation in water-quality indicators. J Environ Inform 19:70–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Du JK, Qian L, Rui HY, Zuo TH, Zheng DP, Xu YP, Xu CY (2012) Assessing the effects of urbanization on annual runoff and flood events using an integrated hydrological modeling system for Qinhuai River basin, China. J Hydrol 464:127–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • French C, Wu LS, Meixner T, Haver D, Kabashima J, Jury WA (2006) Modeling nitrogen transport in the Newport Bay/San Diego Creek watershed of southern California. Agric Water Manage 81:199–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgas N, Rangarajan S, Farley KJ, Jagupilla SCK (2009) AVGWLF-based estimation of nonpoint source nitrogen loads generated within Long Island Sound subwatersheds. J Am Water Resour As 45:715–733

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grizzetti B, Bouraoui F, de Marsily G, Bidoglio G (2005) A statistical method for source apportionment of riverine nitrogen loads. J Hydrol 304:302–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haith DA, Shoemaker LL (1987) Generalized watershed loading functions for stream-flow nutrients. Water Resour Bull 23:471–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haith DA, Mandel R, Wu RS (1992) GWLF: Generalized Watershed Loading Functions, Version 2.0, User's manual. Dept. of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

  • Han Y, Yu X, Wang X, Wang Y, Tian J, Xu L, Wang C (2013) Net anthropogenic phosphorus inputs (NAPI) index application in Mainland China. Chemosphere 90:329–337

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han Y, Fan Y, Yang P, Wang X, Wang Y, Tian J, Xu L, Wang C (2014) Net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs (NANI) index application in Mainland China. Geoderma 213:87–94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jayakrishnan R, Srinivasan R, Santhi C, Arnold JG (2005) Advances in the application of the SWAT model for water resources management. Hydrol Process 19:749–762

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larose M, Heathman GC, Norton LD, Engel B (2007) Hydrologic and atrazine simulation of the Cedar Creek Watershed using the SWAT model. J Environ Qual 36:521–531

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li XY, Weller DE, Jordan TE (2010) Watershed model calibration using multi-objective optimization and multi-site averaging. J Hydrol 380:277–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liden R, Vasilyev A, Stalnacke P, Loigu E, Wittgren HB (1999) Nitrogen source apportionment — a comparison between a dynamic and a statistical model. Ecol Model 114:235–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin C, Zhou SL, Wu SH, Liao FQ (2012) Relationships between intensity gradation and evolution of soil erosion: a case study of Changting in Fujian Province, China. Pedosphere 22:243–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu RM, Yang ZF, Shen ZY, Yu SL, Ding XW, Wu X, Liu F (2009) Estimating nonpoint source pollution in the Upper Yangtze River using the export coefficient model, remote sensing, and geographical information system. J Hydraul Eng ASCE 135:698–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu BB, Liu H, Zhang B, Bi J (2013) Modeling nutrient release in the Tai Lake Basin of China: source identification and policy implications. Environ Manage 51:724–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma X, Li Y, Zhang M, Zheng FZ, Du S (2011) Assessment and analysis of non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Hubei Province, China. Sci Total Environ 412:154–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May L, House WA, Bowes M, McEvoy J (2001) Seasonal export of phosphorus from a lowland catchment: upper River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. Sci Total Environ 269:117–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ongley ED, Zhang XL, Yu T (2010) Current status of agricultural and rural non-point source Pollution assessment in China. Environ Pollut 158:1159–1168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salvetti R, Azzellino A, Vismara R (2006) Diffuse source apportionment of the Po river eutrophying load to the Adriatic sea: assessment of Lombardy contribution to Po river nutrient load apportionment by means of an integrated modelling approach. Chemosphere 65:2168–2177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schneiderman EM, Pierson DC, Lounsbury DG, Zion MS (2002) Modeling the hydrochemistry of the Cannonsville watershed with Generalized Watershed Loading Functions (GWLF). J Am Water Resour As 38:1323–1347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shang X, Wang XZ, Zhang DL, Chen WD, Chen XC, Kong HN (2012) An improved SWAT-based computational framework for identifying critical source areas for agricultural pollution at the lake basin scale. Ecol Model 226:1–10

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun C, Shen Z, Liu R, Xiong M, Ma F, Zhang O, Li Y, Chen L (2013) Historical trend of nitrogen and phosphorus loads from the upper Yangtze River basin and their responses to the Three Gorges Dam. Environ Sci Pollut Res 1–10

  • Tian P, Zhao G, Li J, Gao J, Zhang Z (2012) Integration of monthly water balance modeling and nutrient load estimation in an agricultural catchment. Int J Environ Sci Te 9:163–172

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Volf G, Atanasova N, Kompare B, Ožanić N (2013) Modeling nutrient loads to the northern Adriatic. J Hydrol 504:182–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang F, Wang X, Znao Y, Yang ZF (2012) Long-term water quality variations and chlorophyll a simulation with an emphasis on different hydrological periods in Lake Baiyangdian, Northern China. J Environ Inform 20:90–102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wittgren HB, Arheimer B (1996) Source apportionment of riverine nitrogen transport based on catchment modelling. Water Sci Technol 33(4):109–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu W, Hall CAS, Scatena FN (2007) Modelling the impact of recent land-cover changes on the 25 stream flows in northeastern Puerto Rico. Hydrol Process 21:2944–2956

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Reichert P, Abbaspour KC, Yang H (2007) Hydrological modelling of the chaohe basin in china: Statistical model formulation and Bayesian inference. J Hydrol 340:167–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao H (2013) Characterizing landuse changes in 1990–2010 in the coastal zone of Nantong, Jiangsu province, China. Ocean Coast Manage 71:108–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang YM, Huang GH (2011) Inexact credibility constrained programming for environmental system management. Resour Conserv Recyling 55:441–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Funding was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41071323), and National Key Research Program on Water Pollution Control and Remediation (2012ZX07203003, 2012ZX07029002). The authors thank the Chengde Branch of Hebei Provincial Survey Bureau of Hydrology and Water Resources for providing hydrological and water quality data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road 18, Beijing, 100085, China

    Xinzhong Du, Xuyong Li, Wangshou Zhang & Huiliang Wang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xinzhong Du, Wangshou Zhang & Huiliang Wang

Authors
  1. Xinzhong Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xuyong Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wangshou Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Huiliang Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xuyong Li.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Hailong Wang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Du, X., Li, X., Zhang, W. et al. Variations in source apportionments of nutrient load among seasons and hydrological years in a semi-arid watershed: GWLF model results. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 6506–6515 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2519-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2519-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation