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Simulation of spatial and temporal distribution on dissolved non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus load in Jialing River Watershed, China

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Abstract

Jialing River, which covers a basin area of 160,000 km2 and a length of 1,280 km, is the largest tributary of the catchment area in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. In recent years, water quality in the reservoir area section of Jialing River has been degraded due to land use and the rural residential area induced by non-point source pollution. Therefore, the semi-distributed land-use runoff process (SLURP) hydrological model has been introduced and used to simulate the integrated hydrological cycle of the Jialing River Watershed (JRW). A coupling watershed model between the SLURP hydrological model and dissolved non-point source pollution model has been proposed in an attempt to evaluate the potential dissolved non-point source pollution load; it enhances the simulation precision of runoff and pollution load which are both based on the same division of land use types in the watershed. The proposed model has been applied in JRW to simulate the temporal and spatial distribution of the dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) and dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) pollution load for the period 1990–2007. It is shown that both the temporal and spatial distribution of DTN and DTP load are positively correlated to annual rainfall height. Land use is the key factor controlling the distribution of DTN and DTP load. The source compositions of DTN and DTP are different, where average DTN pollution load in descending order is land use 67.2%, livestock and poultry breeding 30.5%, and rural settlements 2.2%; and for DTP, livestock and poultry breeding is 50%, land use 48.8%, and rural settlements 1.2%. The contribution rates of DTN and DTP load in each sub-basin indicate the sensitivity of the results to the temporal and spatial distribution of different pollution sources. These data were of great significance for the prediction and estimation of the future changing trends of dissolved non-point source pollution load carried by rainfall runoff in the JRW and for studies of their transport and influence in the Three Gorges Reservoir.

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Acknowledgments

This is contribution number 65 from the Urban Water Research Center, University of California, Irvine. The authors are extremely grateful to the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. This work was supported by National Major Science and Technology Special Projects of water pollution control and management (2009ZX07104-001 & 2009ZX07104-002); and the open research project of Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering (Zd91201).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area Ecological Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, 400045, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Wu & Tian-Yu Long

  2. Faculty of Urban Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing University (B Campus), No.174, Sha Zheng Street, Sha Pingba District, 400045, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Wu & Tian-Yu Long

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Urban Water Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-2175, USA

    William J. Cooper

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  1. Lei Wu
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  2. Tian-Yu Long
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Correspondence to Lei Wu.

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Wu, L., Long, TY. & Cooper, W.J. Simulation of spatial and temporal distribution on dissolved non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus load in Jialing River Watershed, China. Environ Earth Sci 65, 1795–1806 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1159-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1159-9

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