Abstract
The ecology and environment of the Yellow River Basin is threatened by fluoride and nitrate contamination induced by anthropogenic activity and geogenic factors. As a result, deciphering the spatio-temporal variability of fluoride and nitrate contamination in this area remains a challenge. Three hundred eighty-six samples of surface water and groundwater from the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River Basin were taken for this investigation. According to the results of the multivariate statistical and geostatistical analyses, the fluoride pollution was primarily discovered in the middle and lower reaches of the study area and was determined to be more severe during the dry season. In contrast, nitrate contamination was found to be more severe during the wet season while being widely distributed in groundwater and concentrated in areas with intensive agricultural activities. The primary mechanisms governing the spatial-seasonal patterns of NO3− and F− pollution were shown by the principal component analysis, isotopic, and hydrochemical diagrams. The water-rock interaction or evaporation was crucial in the enrichment of F−. The human inputs (e.g., fertilizer or sewage) dominated fluoride and nitrate contamination. Additionally, the alkaline environment played a role in the generation of NO3− and F−. The health risk assessment concluded that the threat of fluoride contamination was greater than that of nitrate contamination. Children faced the greatest health risks, followed by females and males. These findings would serve as a guide for water management and pollution control in the Yellow River Basin.
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Funding
This study was supported by the Inner Mongolia Major science and technology Project (2020ZD0009 and 2022EEDSKJXM005), the Ordos Science and Technology Major Project (ZD20232303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (the Yellow River Water Science Research Joint Fund, U2243234), the Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (No. 2020JQ06) and the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University Basic Research Project (BR221012).
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Shen Qu: methodology; data curation; formal analysis; writing—original draft; funding acquisition. Yanyun Luo: investigation; formal analysis. Limin Duan: writing—review and editing; funding acquisition. Sensen Pei: investigation; data collection. Ping Miao: investigation; data collection. Chenyu Wang: data curation; visualization. Tingxi Liu: review and editing. Ruihong Yu: review and editing.
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Qu, S., Luo, Y., Duan, L. et al. Deciphering spatio-seasonal patterns, driving forces, and human health risks of nitrate and fluoride enriched water bodies in the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River Basin, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 111423–111440 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29914-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29914-7