The evaluation of N/P fate using the SPARROW model: a case study in an arid and semi-arid region, northern China

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 19; pp. 55662 - 55677
• Main Authors: Chen, Haitao, Yin, Jincheng, Song, Menglai, Ding, Han, Mo, Fan, Ren, Qiuru, Li, Guoguang, Song, Shuang, Wang, Yuqiu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Arid regions; Arid zones; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; China; Drainage area; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Flow rates; Flow velocity; Nitrogen - analysis; Nutrients; Phosphorus - analysis; Quality control; Quality management; Rainfall; Research Article; Reservoirs; Retention; River basins; Rivers; Semi arid areas; Semiarid lands; Stream pollution; Streams; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Water quality; Water quality control; Water quality management; Watershed management; Watersheds; China; N/P contaminations; SPARROW model; Luanhe River Basin; Delivery and retention
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26240-w

The assessment of nutrients’ fate from source to sink is critical to water quality control. As an important ecological reserve in the arid and semi-arid regions of China, the Luanhe River Basin (LRB) has suffered from the deterioration of water quality, thus leading to the urgent management and control. However, few studies have devoted to exploring the fate of N/P contaminations for the entire watershed, due possibly to the large drainage area and heterogeneous watershed composition. Here, we attempt to illustrate N/P contaminations delivery and retention processes using the SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model. The model reveals 97% of the spatial variability in the TN load and 81% in the TP load, verifying its availability and credibility. The results indicate that anthropogenic sources are dominating the N/P load, which account for 68.5% of N and 74.6% of P inputs. The results highlight the significant retention effects of streams and reservoirs, with 16.4% of N and 13.4% of P removals by streams and 24.3% of N and 10.7% of P removals by reservoirs, respectively. Ultimately, only 49,045.2 t yr −1 (or 16.9%) of N and 1668.7 t yr −1 (or 17.1%) of P being transported to the Bohai Sea. In addition, the analysis of influencing factors showed that regional characteristics (e.g., topography, rainfall), stream size, and delivery distance are potential factors affecting the riverine transport, whereas flow rate and surface area are primarily affecting the reservoirs attenuation. In the future, the watershed water quality management should pay more attention to source management and pollution legacy risks to achieve sustainable and healthy watershed development.