Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatio-temporal variability of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), carbon (DOC), and nutrients in the Nile River, Egypt

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Increases in human activity have resulted in enhanced anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) into the Nile River. The Damietta Branch of the Nile is subject to inputs from industrial, agricultural, and domestic wastewater. This study investigated the distribution and seasonality of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and nutrients in the Nile Damietta Branch. Water samples were collected from 24 sites between May 2009 and February 2010. Dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations averaged 251 ± 115 μg/l, with a range of 90.2–671 μg/l, and contributed 40.8 ± 17.7 % to the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) pool. Relative to autumn and winter, DON was a larger fraction of the TDN pool during spring and summer indicating the influence of bacterioplankton on the nitrogen cycle. Concentrations of DOC ranged from 2.23 to 11.3 mg/l with an average of 5.15 ± 2.36 mg/l, reflecting a high organic matter load from anthropogenic sources within the study area, and were highest during autumn. Higher values of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), DON, nitrate, and phosphate occurred downstream of the Damietta Branch and were probably due to anthropogenic inputs to the Nile from the Damietta district. A bacterial incubation experiment indicated that 52.1–95.0 % of DON was utilized by bacteria within 21 days. The decrease in DON concentration was accompanied by an increase in nitrate concentration of 54.8–87.3 %, presumably through DON mineralization. Based on these results, we recommend that water quality assessments consider DON and DOC, as their omission may result in an underestimation of the total organic matter load and impact.

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.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel Wahaab, R., & Badawy, M. I. (2004). Water quality assessment of the River Nile system: an overview. Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, 17, 87–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adams, V. D. (1990). Water and wastewater examination manual. Michigan: Lewis Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ali, S. M., Sabae, S. Z., Fayez, M., Monib, M., & Hegazi, N. A. (2011). The influence of agro-industrial effluents on River Nile pollution. Journal of Advanced Research, 2(1), 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • APHA (2005). Standard methods for the examination of waters and wastewaters. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association (APHA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Badr, E. A., Achterberg, E. P., Tappin, A. D., Hill, S. J., & Braungardt, C. B. (2003). Determination of dissolved organic nitrogen in natural water using high-temperature catalytic oxidation. Trac-Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 22(11), 819–827.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Badr, E. A., Tappin, A. D., & Achterberg, E. P. (2008). Distribution and seasonal variability of dissolved organic nitrogen in two estuaries in SW England. Marine Chemistry, 110(3–4), 153–164.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Badr, E. A., Ibrahium, M. S., & Alsaid, H. F. (2011). Distribution and seasonal variations of nutrients in the Nile estuary, Damietta–Egypt. Mansoura Journal of Environmental Sciences, 40(3), 309–324.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Badr, E. A., El-Sonbati, M. A., & Nassef, H. M. (2013). Water quality assessment in the Nile River, Damietta branch, Egypt. The International Journal of Environmental Sciences (CATRINA), 8(1), 43–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouraoui, F., & Grizzetti, B. (2011). Long term change of nutrient concentrations of rivers discharging in European seas. Science of the Total Environment, 409(23), 4899–4916.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bronk, D. A., & Ward, B. B. (1999). Gross and net nitrogen uptake and DON release in the euphotic zone of Monterey Bay, California. Limnology and Oceanography, 44(3), 573–585.

  • Bronk, D. A., Lomas, M. W., Glibert, P. M., Schukert, K. J., & Sanderson, M. P. (2000). Total dissolved nitrogen analysis: comparisons between the persulfate, UV and high temperature oxidation methods. Marine Chemistry, 69(1–2), 163–178.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, C. A., & Hansell, D. A. (2015). DOM sources, sinks, reactivity, and budgets. In D. A. Hansell & C. A. Carlson (Eds.), Biogeochemistry of marine dissolved organic matter (pp. 65–126). Boston: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dafner, E. V., & Szmant, A. M. (2014). A modified segmented continuous flow analysis method for simultaneous determination of total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus in marine environments. Limnology and Oceanography-Methods, 12, 577–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai, M., Yin, Z., Meng, F., Liu, Q., & Cai, W. J. (2012). Spatial distribution of riverine DOC inputs to the ocean: an updated global synthesis. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4(2), 170–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elewa, H. H. (2010). Potentialities of water resources pollution of the Nile River Delta, Egypt. The Open Hydrology Journal, 4, 1–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • El-Ezaby, K. H., El-Sonbati, M. A., & Badr, E. A. (2010). Impact of fish cages on the Nile water quality at Damietta branch. Mansoura Journal of Environmental Sciences, 39(3), 329–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanrahan, G., Gardolinski, P., Gledhill, M., & Worsfold, P. (2002). Environmental monitoring of nutrients. In F. R. Burden, I. D. Mckelvie, U. Forstner, & A. Guenther (Eds.), Environmental monitoring handbook (pp. 8.1–8.16). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, T. H., Fu, Y. H., Pan, P. Y., & Chen, C. T. A. (2012). Fluvial carbon fluxes in tropical rivers. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4(2), 162–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huo, S., Yu, H., Xi, B., Zan, F., Zhu, C., & Zhang, J. (2014). Characteristics of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the surface water of Beijing Olympic Forest Park. Environmental Earth Sciences, 71(9), 4021–4028.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jonnalagadda, S. B., & Mhere, G. (2001). Water quality of the odzi river in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. Water Research, 35(10), 2371–2376.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalscheur, K. N., Penskar, R. R., Daley, A. D., Pechauer, S. M., Kelly, J. J., Peterson, C. G., et al. (2012). Effects of anthropogenic inputs on the organic quality of urbanized streams. Water Research, 46(8), 2515–2524.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, D. P., & Hood, R. R. (2011). Modeling the seasonal autochthonous sources of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in the upper Chesapeake Bay. Ecological Modelling, 222(5), 1139–1162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, D. P., & Hood, R. R. (2013). Comparative simulations of dissolved organic matter cycling in idealized oceanic, coastal, and estuarine surface waters. Journal of Marine Systems, 109-110, 109–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerner, M., & Spitzy, A. (2001). Nitrate regeneration coupled to degradation of different size fractions of DON by the picoplankton in the Elbe estuary. Microbial Ecology, 41(1), 69–81.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, R., Liu, S., Zhang, G., Ren, J., & Zhang, J. (2013). Biogeochemistry of nutrients in an estuary affected by human activities: the Wanquan River estuary, eastern Hainan Island, China. Continental Shelf Research, 57, 18–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lonborg, C., Davidson, K., Alvarez-Salgado, X. A., & Miller, A. E. J. (2009). Bioavailability and bacterial degradation rates of dissolved organic matter in a temperate coastal area during an annual cycle. Marine Chemistry, 113(3–4), 219–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ludwig, W., Dumont, E., Meybeck, M., & Heussner, S. (2009). River discharges of water and nutrients to the Mediterranean and Black Sea: major drivers for ecosystem changes during past and future decades? Progress in Oceanography, 80(3Γ_ô4), 199–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mantoura, R. F. C., & Woodward, E. M. S. (1983). Conservative behavior of riverine dissolved organic-carbon in the Severn estuary-chemical and geochemical implications. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 47(7), 1293–1309.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meng, F., Huang, G., Yang, X., Li, Z., Li, J., Cao, J., et al. (2013). Identifying the sources and fate of anthropogenically impacted dissolved organic matter (DOM) in urbanized rivers. Water Research, 47(14), 5027–5039.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. E. J. (1999). Seasonal investigations of dissolved organic carbon dynamics in the Tamar estuary, UK. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 49(6), 891–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MWRI (2010) Water Challenges in Egypt. Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), Cairo, Egypt

  • Myklestad, S. M. (2000). Dissolved organic carbon from phytoplankton. In O. Hutzinger (Ed.), Handbook of environmental chemistry (pp. 111–148). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S. W. (1995). Coastal marine eutrophication—a definition, social causes, and future concerns. Ophelia, 41, 199–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okbah, M., Ibrahim, A., & Gamal, M. (2013). Environmental monitoring of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and physicochemical characteristics of seawater in el-Mex Bay (Alexandria, Egypt). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 185(4), 3103–3115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ribas-Ribas, M., Gomez-Parra, A., & Forja, J. M. (2011). Spatio-temporal variability of the dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in a coastal area affected by river input: the north eastern shelf of the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian peninsula). Marine Chemistry, 126(1–4), 295–308.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Santinelli, C. (2015). DOC in the Mediterranean Sea. In D. A. Hansell & C. A. Carlson (Eds.), Biogeochemistry of marine dissolved organic matter (pp. 579–608). Boston: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Seitzinger, S. P., & Sanders, R. W. (1997). Contribution of dissolved organic nitrogen from rivers to estuarine eutrophication. Marine Ecology-Progress Series, 159, 1–12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seitzinger, S. P., Sanders, R. W., & Styles, R. (2002). Bioavailability of DON from natural and anthropogenic sources to estuarine plankton. Limnology and Oceanography, 47(2), 353–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seitzinger, S. P., Harrison, J. A., Dumont, E., Beusen, A. H. W., & Bouwman, A. F. (2005). Sources and delivery of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to the coastal zone: an overview of global nutrient export from watersheds (NEWS) models and their application. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 19(4) GB4S01.

  • Shaban, M., Urban, B., El Saadi, A., & Faisal, M. (2010). Detection and mapping of water pollution variation in the Nile Delta using multivariate clustering and GIS techniques. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(8), 1785–1793.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, J. H., Beauregard, A. Y., Burdige, D., Cauwet, G., Curless, S. E., Lauck, R., et al. (2004). A direct instrument comparison for measurement of total dissolved nitrogen in seawater. Marine Chemistry, 84(3–4), 181–193.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sipler, R. E., & Bronk, D. A. (2015). Dynamics of dissolved organic nitrogen. In D. A. Hansell & C. A. Carlson (Eds.), Biogeochemistry of marine dissolved organic matter (pp. 127–232). Boston: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stepanauskas, R., Leonardson, L., & Tranvik, L. J. (1999). Bioavailability of wetland-derived DON to freshwater and marine bacterioplankton. Limnology and Oceanography, 44(6), 1477–1485.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Volk, C. J., Volk, C. B., & Kaplan, L. A. (1997). Chemical composition of biodegradable dissolved organic matter in stream water. Limnology and Oceanography, 42(1), 39–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y., Bao, H. Y., Unger, D., Herbeck, L. S., Zhu, Z. Y., Zhang, J., et al. (2013). Biogeochemical behavior of organic carbon in a small tropical river and estuary, Hainan, China. Continental Shelf Research, 57, 32–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xia, X., Liu, T., Yang, Z., Zhang, X., & Yu, Z. (2013). Dissolved organic nitrogen transformation in river water: effects of suspended sediment and organic nitrogen concentration. Journal of Hydrology, 484, 96–104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the Faculty of Science, Damietta University in conduct of the research, co-operation of Dr. Talatt Hegazy, and technician Ramzy Metowaly with sample collection. The author would also like to thank Dr. Abdullah Elithy (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency) for analysis of the DOC samples. The author acknowledges the generous support of the International Foundation for Sciences (grant no. W/4509-1) for funding this study. The author thanks Drs. Alan D. Tappin (University of Plymouth, UK) and Banalata Sen (AuthorAID mentor) for their constructive scientific/English language review of this manuscript. The comments of the anonymous reviewers are also gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Author notes

  1. El-Sayed A. Badr

    Present address: Environment and Natural Resources Department, College of Agriculture and Food Science, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, PO Box 34517, New Damietta City, Egypt

    El-Sayed A. Badr

Authors
  1. El-Sayed A. Badr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to El-Sayed A. Badr.

Ethics declarations

Funding

This study was funded by the International Foundation for Sciences (IFS) (grant number W/4509-1).

Conflict of interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Badr, ES.A. Spatio-temporal variability of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), carbon (DOC), and nutrients in the Nile River, Egypt. Environ Monit Assess 188, 580 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5588-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5588-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation