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Groundwater pollution source apportionment using principal component analysis in a multiple land-use area in southwestern China

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Abstract

Identification of different pollution sources in groundwater is challenging, especially in areas with diverse land uses and receiving multiple inputs. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA) was combined with geographic information system (GIS) to explore the spatial and temporal variation of groundwater quality and to identify the sources of pollution and main factors governing the quality of groundwater in a multiple land-use area in southwestern China. Groundwater samples collected from 26 wells in 2012 and 38 wells in 2018 were analyzed for 13 water quality parameters. The PCA results showed that the hydro-geochemical process was the predominant factor determining groundwater quality, followed by agricultural activities, domestic sewage discharges, and industrial sewage discharges. Agriculture expansion from 2012 to 2018 resulted in increased apportionment of agricultural pollution. In contrast, economic restructure and infrastructure improvement reduced the contributions of domestic sewage and industrial pollution. Anthropogenic activities were found the major causes of elevated nitrogen concentrations (NO3−, NO2−, NH4+) in groundwater, highlighting the necessity of controlling N sources through effective fertilizer managements in agricultural areas and reducing sewage discharges in urban areas. The applications of GIS and PCA successfully identified the sources of pollutants and major factors driving the variations of groundwater quality in tested years.

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Funding

This study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 51509215) and Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program, China (Grant no. 2019YJ0234).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faulty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China

    Qiling Li, Han Zhang, Shanshan Guo, Kang Fu, Lei Liao, Yi Xu & Siqian Cheng

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  1. Qiling Li
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  2. Han Zhang
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  3. Shanshan Guo
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  4. Kang Fu
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  5. Lei Liao
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  7. Siqian Cheng
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Correspondence to Han Zhang.

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Li, Q., Zhang, H., Guo, S. et al. Groundwater pollution source apportionment using principal component analysis in a multiple land-use area in southwestern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 9000–9011 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06126-6

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