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Assessing the Risk of Phosphorus Loss and Identifying Critical Source Areas in the Chaohu Lake Watershed, China

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Abstract

Agricultural nonpoint phosphorus (P) pollution is a primary cause of eutrophication in many freshwater systems. Identifying areas that are at high risk for P loss in a watershed and concentrating management efforts on these smaller sections is a more effective method for limiting P loss than implementing general strategies over a broad area. A modified P index scheme was used to assess the risk of P loss and identify critical source areas in the Chaohu Lake watershed on a regional scale. In the new P ranking scheme, soil P sorption index (PSI) and degree of P saturation (DPS) were introduced as source factors to represent the inherent ability of P transport in the soil-water interface. Distance from P sources to Chaohu Lake was also considered as a transport factor to take into account P degradation from source to the final receiving water. The ranking scheme was modified to use available data on the regional scale. P index calculation results showed high spatial variation of P loss risk in the Chaohu Lake watershed. The highest risk areas focused on the downstream parts of the main rivers that discharge into Chaohu Lake. The induction of new components into the P index calculation makes it possible to identify critical source areas of nonpoint P loss on a regional scale, thus allowing decision makers to implement best management practices (BMPs) in such a manner as to minimize P loss to sensitive watercourses.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the National Science Foundation of China Project 40771186 and Special Fund of Environmental Protection Scientific Research for Public Welfare 201009017-1 for funding this research. We are also grateful to Anhui Institute of Geological Survey for providing the latest soil survey data. We would like to acknowledge the help of Dengfeng Wang in the laboratory experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Environmental Protection, 8 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing, 210042, People’s Republic of China

    Huiping Zhou

  2. Department of Geography and Oceanography Science, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Chao Gao

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  1. Huiping Zhou
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  2. Chao Gao
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Correspondence to Chao Gao.

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Zhou, H., Gao, C. Assessing the Risk of Phosphorus Loss and Identifying Critical Source Areas in the Chaohu Lake Watershed, China. Environmental Management 48, 1033–1043 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9743-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9743-z

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