Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
2953038 
Journal Article 
Utilizing water characteristics and sediment nitrogen isotopic features to identify non-point nitrogen pollution sources at watershed scale in Liaoning Province, China 
Ma, J; Chen, Xin; Huang, Bin; Shi, Yi; Chi, G; Lu, C 
2015 
Yes 
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
ISSN: 0944-1344
EISSN: 1614-7499 
22 
4 
2699-2707 
English 
25205154 
WOS:000349319200033 
Identifying nitrogen (N) pollution sources is the fundamental work of non-point source pollution load reduction from watersheds, but is hard due to complex N transport and transformation within spatially heterogenized huge areas. During September 2011, we measured water characteristics and sediment N stable isotope in four tributaries of the upper reach of the Hun River, an important water source of the Dahuofang Reservoir, a large drinking water source in Northeast China. Results showed that spatial changes in SO42- and Cl- contents in the tributaries were consisted with the changes in density of the population living along the tributaries. Sediment delta N-15 from all tributaries showed a downstream increasing trend in line with the land use change, which is characterized as more farmlands and more people around the outlet area of each tributary. Principal component analysis indicated the population density had a strong impact on N in these tributaries in the low-flow period. Tributaries and villages close to the Dahuofang Reservoir should be the major N load control objects in reduction of non-point source nitrogen load from the upper reach of the Hun River. 
Non-point source (NPS) pollution; Nitrogen stable isotope; Sediment; Pollution sources identifying; Watershed; Hun River