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Runoff characteristics and non-point source pollution analysis in the Taihu Lake Basin: a case study of the town of Xueyan, China

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Abstract

Non-point source pollution is a significant environmental issue in small watersheds in China. To study the effects of rainfall on pollutants transported by runoff, rainfall was monitored in Xueyan town in the Taihu Lake Basin (TLB) for over 12 consecutive months. The concentrations of different forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and chemical oxygen demand, were monitored in runoff and river water across different land use types. The results indicated that pollutant loads were highly variable. Most N losses due to runoff were found around industrial areas (printing factories), while residential areas exhibited the lowest nitrogen losses through runoff. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) were the dominant forms of soluble N around printing factories and hotels, respectively. The levels of N in river water were stable prior to the generation of runoff from a rainfall event, after which they were positively correlated to rainfall intensity. In addition, three sites with different areas were selected for a case study to analyze trends in pollutant levels during two rainfall events, using the AnnAGNPS model. The modeled results generally agreed with the observed data, which suggests that AnnAGNPS can be used successfully for modeling runoff nutrient loading in this region. The conclusions of this study provide important information on controlling non-point source pollution in TLB.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge financial support for this work from the Natural Science Fund Project in Jiangsu Province (BK20130834) and the National Higher Education Institution for General Research and Development Funding (2012B00714).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China

    Q. D. Zhu, J. H. Wang & H. Wang

  2. Department of Water Resources, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, People’s Republic of China

    Q. D. Zhu, J. H. Wang & H. Wang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering Science, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, People’s Republic of China

    Q. D. Zhu, J. H. Sun & G. F. Hua

  4. College of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, People’s Republic of China

    G. F. Hua

Authors
  1. Q. D. Zhu
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  2. J. H. Sun
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  3. G. F. Hua
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  4. J. H. Wang
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  5. H. Wang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. H. Wang.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Highlights

• Runoff production and nutrient losses increased with increasing rainfall intensity.

• Land use changes from industrial and urban to rural had the greatest effects on nutrient loss but smaller on COD.

• AnnAGNPS can be used effectively to model runoff and nutrient loads in the complex TLB region.

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Zhu, Q.D., Sun, J.H., Hua, G.F. et al. Runoff characteristics and non-point source pollution analysis in the Taihu Lake Basin: a case study of the town of Xueyan, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 15029–15036 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4709-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4709-y

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