A preliminary study on the distribution characteristics of nutrients (N, P, Si, C) in the Wujiang River Basin

Abstract

The distribution of nutrients (N, P, Si, C) in the Wujiang River surface water was studied during the high-flow and low-flow periods in 2002. The results showed that nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) is the main form of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the Wujiang River Basin. It accounts for about 90% of DIN. The average NO₃-N concentrations in the mainstream are 147.5 µM in the high-flow period and 158.0 µM in the low-flow period, respectively. The average concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) are 6.43 µM in the high-flow period and 4.18 µM in the low-flow period, respectively. Of the various forms of phosphorus, particulate phosphorus (PP) has the highest percentage (62.9%) of TP in the high-flow period. In the low-flow period, however, phosphate is the main form of phosphorus, which accounts for 49% of TP. With the Wujiangdu Reservoir as the boundary, the concentrations of DIN and phosphorus in the upper reaches are different from those in the lower reaches of the Wujiang River. As a whole, the concentrations of DIN and phosphorus are both higher in the low-flow period than in the high-flow period. The spatial and temporal variations of DIN and phosphorus concentrations suggested that DIN and phosphorus come from agricultural and domestic wastewaters and groundwaters and that the Wujiangdu Reservoir has an important impact on the concentrations and distribution of DIN and phosphorus in the Wujiang River. The distribution patterns of dissolved silica (DSi) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are similar. Both of them maintain no change in the whole course of the river and their concentrations (with the exception of the reservoir itself) are higher in the high-flow period than in the low-flow period. The average DSi and DOC concentrations in the mainstream are 85.4, 84.6 µM in the high-flow period and 60.8, 53.9 µM in the low-flow period, respectively. The concentrations of nutrients in most of the major tributaries are lower than in the mainstream. This suggested that the contributions of most tributaries are relatively small but importance should be attached to the influence of some individual tributaries such as the Qingshuijiang River and the Weng’ an River on the mainstream.