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Using dual isotopes and a Bayesian isotope mixing model to evaluate sources of nitrate of Tai Lake, China

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Abstract

Identification and quantification of sources of nitrate (NO3–) in freshwater lakes provide useful information for management of eutrophication and improving water quality in lakes. Dual δ15N- and δ18O-NO3– isotopes and a Bayesian isotope mixing model were applied to identify sources of NO3– and estimate their proportional contributions to concentrations of NO3– in Tai Lake, China. In waters of Tai Lake, values for δ15N-NO3– ranged from 3.8 to 10.1‰, while values of δ18O ranged from 2.2 to 12.0‰. These results indicated that NO3– was derived primarily from agricultural and industrial sources. Stable isotope analysis in R called SIAR model was used to estimate proportional contributions from four potential NO3– sources (agricultural, industrial effluents, domestic sewage, and rainwater). SIAR output revealed that agricultural runoff provided the greatest proportion (50.8%) of NO3– to the lake, followed by industrial effluents (33.9%), rainwater (8.4%), and domestic sewage (6.8%). Contributions of those primary sources of NO3– to sub-regions of Tai Lake varied significantly (p < 0.05). For the northern region of the lake, industrial source (35.4%) contributed the greatest proportion of NO3–, followed by agricultural runoff (27.4%), domestic sewage (21.3%), and rainwater (15.9%). Whereas for the southern region, the proportion of NO3– contributed from agriculture (38.6%) was slightly greater than that contributed by industry (30.8%), which was similar to results for nearby inflow tributaries. Thus, to improve water quality by addressing eutrophication and reduce primary production of phytoplankton, NO3– from both nonpoint agricultural sources and industrial point sources should be mitigated.

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Funding

The work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41807372, 41630645, 41603113, and 41573126) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M622280 and 2016M591227).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Shasha Liu, Fengchang Wu, Weiying Feng, Wenjing Guo, Fanhao Song, Hao Wang, Ying Wang, Peng Zhu & Zhi Tang

  2. USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, 1100 Robert E Lee Blvd, New Orleans, LA, 70124, USA

    Zhongqi He

  3. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B3, Canada

    John P. Giesy

Authors
  1. Shasha Liu
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  2. Fengchang Wu
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  3. Weiying Feng
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  4. Wenjing Guo
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  5. Fanhao Song
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  6. Hao Wang
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  7. Ying Wang
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  8. Zhongqi He
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  9. John P. Giesy
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  10. Peng Zhu
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  11. Zhi Tang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhi Tang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Highlights

1. Dual isotopes and a Bayesian mixing model were applied to identify NO3– sources.

2. Agriculture and industry are main contributors to NO3– sources in Tai Lake.

3. Industrial source (35.4%) was the largest nitrate contributor to northern lake.

4. Agricultural source (38.6%) was the largest nitrate contributor to southern lake.

5. The results will help evaluate remediation efforts and strategies in the region.

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Liu, S., Wu, F., Feng, W. et al. Using dual isotopes and a Bayesian isotope mixing model to evaluate sources of nitrate of Tai Lake, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 32631–32639 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3242-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3242-1

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