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Isik S, Haas H, Kalin L, Hantush MM, Nietch C. Nutrient Removal Potential of Headwater Wetlands in Coastal Plains of Alabama, USA. WATER 2023; 15:1-22. [PMID: 37840575 PMCID: PMC10569132 DOI: 10.3390/w15152687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Headwater streams drain over 70% of the land in the United States with headwater wetlands covering 6.59 million hectares. These ecosystems are important landscape features in the southeast United States, with underlying effects on ecosystem health, water yield, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and water quality. However, little is known about the relationship between headwater wetlands' nutrient function (i.e., nutrient load removal ( R L ) and removal efficiency ( E R ) ) and their physical characteristics. Here, we investigate this relationship for 44 headwater wetlands located within the Upper Fish River watershed (UFRW) in coastal Alabama. To accomplish this objective, we apply the process-based watershed model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to generate flow and nutrient loadings to each study wetland and subsequently quantify the wetland-level nutrient removal efficiencies using the process-based wetland model WetQual. Results show that the calculated removal efficiencies of the headwater wetlands in the UFRW are 75-84% and 27-35% for nitrate ( NO 3 - ) and phosphate ( PO 4 + ) , respectively. The calculated nutrient load removals are highly correlated with the input loads, and the estimated PO 4 + E R shows a significant decreasing trend with increased input loadings. The relationship between NO 3 - E R and wetland physical characteristics such as area, volume, and residence time is statistically insignificant (p > 0.05), while for PO 4 + , the correlation is positive and statistically significant (p < 0.05). On the other hand, flashiness (flow pulsing) and baseflow index (fraction of inflow that is coming from baseflow) have a strong effect on NO 3 - removal but not on PO 4 + removal. Modeling results and statistical analysis point toward denitrification and plant uptake as major NO 3 - removal mechanisms, whereas plant uptake, diffusion, and settling of sediment-bound P were the main mechanisms for PO 4 + removal. Additionally, the computed nutrient E R is higher during the driest year of the simulated period compared to during the wettest year. Our findings are in line with global-level studies and offer new insights into wetland physical characteristics affecting nutrient removal efficiency and the importance of headwater wetlands in mitigating water quality deterioration in coastal areas. The regression relationships for NO 3 - and PO 4 + load removals in the selected 44 wetlands are then used to extrapolate nutrient load removals to 348 unmodeled non-riverine and non-riparian wetlands in the UFRW (41% of UFRW drains to them). Results show that these wetlands remove 51-61% of the NO 3 - and 5-10% of the PO 4 + loading they receive from their respective drainage areas. Due to geographical proximity and physiographic similarity, these results can be scaled up to the coastal plains of Alabama and Northwest Florida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabahattin Isik
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Henrique Haas
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Latif Kalin
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Mohamed M. Hantush
- U.S. EPA Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, 26 West Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Christopher Nietch
- U.S. EPA Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, 26 West Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
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Wang R, Ma Y, Zhao G, Zhou Y, Shehab I, Burton A. Investigating water quality sensitivity to climate variability and its influencing factors in four Lake Erie watersheds. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 325:116449. [PMID: 36252329 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate change alters weather patterns and hydrological cycle, thus potentially aggravating water quality impairment. However, the direct relationships between climate variability and water quality are complicated by a multitude of hydrological and biochemical mechanisms dominate the process. Thus, little is known regarding how water quality responds to climate variability in the context of changing meteorological conditions and human activities. Here, a longitudinal study was conducted using trend, correlation, and redundancy analyses to explore stream water quality sensitivity to temperature, precipitation, streamflow, and how the sensitivity was affected by watershed climate, land cover percentage, landscape configuration, fertilizer application, and tillage types. Specifically, daily pollutant concentration data of suspended solid (SS), total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate and nitrite (NOx), and chloride (Cl) were used as water quality indicators in four Lake Erie watersheds from 1985 to 2017, during which the average temperature has increased 0.5 °C and the total precipitation has increased 9%. Results show that precipitation and flow were positively associated with SRP, NOx, TKN, TP, and SS, except for SRP and NOx in the urban basin. The rising temperatures led to increasing concentrations of SS, TKN, and TP in the urban basin. SRP and NOx sensitivity to precipitation was higher in the years with more precipitation and higher precipitation seasonality, and the basins with more spatially aggregated cropland. No-tillage and reduced tillage management could decrease both precipitation and temperature sensitivity for most pollutants. As one of the first studies leveraging multiple watershed environmental variables with long-term historical climate and water quality data, this study can assist target land use planning and management policy to mitigate future climate change effects on surface water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runzi Wang
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041, USA.
| | - Yueying Ma
- Community and Regional Planning Program, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin, 310 Inner Campus Drive B7500, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Gang Zhao
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, 260 Panama St, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Yuhan Zhou
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041, USA.
| | - Isabella Shehab
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041, USA.
| | - Allen Burton
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1041, USA.
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Xiong J, Zheng Y, Zhang J, Quan F, Lu H, Zeng H. Impact of climate change on coastal water quality and its interaction with pollution prevention efforts. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 325:116557. [PMID: 36308952 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The impact of climate change on nearshore coastal water quality and its interaction with pollution prevention efforts (e.g., the development of green and gray water infrastructure) still lack systematic investigation. This study performed a holistic analysis of the impact of climate change on the salinity and concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chl.a) in Shenzhen Bay between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the two most developed megacities in South China, based on three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality modeling. The major study findings were as follows. First, Chl.a was the most sensitive parameter, and its bay-wide average concentration in 2100 was predicted to be approximately 13% and 46% higher than those in 2015 under mild and rapid climate change scenarios, respectively. Second, sea level rise was found to be a major driver of all four water quality parameters, while temperature and radiation mainly influenced Chl.a and precipitation mainly influenced nutrients. Third, water quality responses to climate change were highly heterogeneous over the bay. Even under a mild climate change scenario, the highest location-specific changes (2100 vs. 2015) in salinity and TN, TP and Chl.a concentrations were projected to be approximately 21%, 19%, 25%, and 65%, respectively. Fourth, changes in seasonal variation due to climate change may lead to an enhanced ecological risk of algal blooms. Finally, the effect of reducing TN and TP concentrations by proposed water infrastructure development was found to be significantly weakened (nearly 40% and 20% for TN and TP, respectively, under a mild climate change scenario), while the negative effect (i.e., increase in the Chl.a concentration) was notably accelerated. Regional cooperation is critical for protecting the water quality of the bay, particularly under climate change. The insights obtained in this study are applicable to other coastal water zones around the world with similar socioeconomic backgrounds and climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhi Xiong
- School of Urban Planning and Design, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yi Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China; Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Lab of Environmental IoT Technologies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Jingjie Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China; NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 117577, Singapore
| | - Feng Quan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China; Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Lab of Environmental IoT Technologies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Haiyan Lu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China; Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Lab of Environmental IoT Technologies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hui Zeng
- School of Urban Planning and Design, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong Province, China
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Pei L, Wang C, Zuo Y, Liu X, Chi Y. Impacts of Land Use on Surface Water Quality Using Self-Organizing Map in Middle Region of the Yellow River Basin, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10946. [PMID: 36078661 PMCID: PMC9517833 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Yellow River is one of the most important water sources in China, and its surrounding land use affected by human activities is an important factor in water quality pollution. To understand the impact of land use types on water quality in the Sanmenxia section of the Yellow River, the water quality index (WQI) was used to evaluate the water quality. A self-organizing map (SOM) was used for clustering analysis of water quality indicators, and the relationship between surface water quality and land use types was further analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA). The results showed that WQI values ranged from 82.60 to 507.27, and the highest value was the sampling site S3, whose water quality grade was "Likely not suitable for drinking", mainly polluted by agricultural non-point sources ammonia nitrogen pollution. SOM clustered the sampling sites into 4 groups according to the water quality indicators, the main influencing factors for different groups were analyzed and explored in more depth in relation to land use types, suggesting that surface water quality was significantly connected with the proportion of land use types at the watershed scale in the interpretation of water quality change. The negative impact of cropland on surface water quality was greater than that of other land use types, and vegetation showed a greater positive impact on surface water quality than other land uses. The results provide evidence for water environment conservation based on land use in the watershed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Pei
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chunhui Wang
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yiping Zuo
- Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100035, China
| | - Xiaojie Liu
- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yanyan Chi
- Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing 100102, China
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5
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Influence of Climate Change and Land-Use Alteration on Water Resources in Multan, Pakistan. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12105210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
This study presents an evaluation of climate and land-use changes induced impacts on water resources of Multan City, Pakistan. Statistical Down Scaling Model (SDSM) and Geographical Information System (GIS) are used for climate change scenario and spatial analyses. Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydraulic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model is used for rainfall-runoff simulation. The investigated results show significant changes in climatological parameters, i.e., an increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation over the last 40 years, and a significant urban expansion is also observed from 2000 to 2020. The increase in temperature and urbanization has reduced the infiltration rate into the soil and increased the runoff flows. The HEC-HMS results indicate that surface runoff gradually increased over the last two decades. Consequently, the depth of the water table in the shallow aquifer has declined by about 0.3 m/year. Projected climate indices stipulate that groundwater depletion will occur in the future. Arsenic levels have exceeded the permissible limit owing to unplanned urban expansion and open dumping of industrial effluents. The results can help an efficient water resources management in Multan.
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Population models reveal synergistic fitness effects of climate change and urbanization on poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) via disruption of seed dispersal interactions. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01243-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Haas H, Kalin L, Srivastava P. Improved forest dynamics leads to better hydrological predictions in watershed modeling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153180. [PMID: 35051464 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study explored how the characterization of forest processes in hydrologic models affects watershed hydrological responses. To that end, we applied the widely used Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to two forested watersheds in the southeastern United States. Although forests can cover a large portion of watersheds, tree attributes such as leaf area index (LAI), biomass accumulation, and processes such as evapotranspiration (ET) are rarely calibrated in hydrological modeling studies. The advent of freely and readily available remote-sensing data, combined with field observations from forestry studies and published literature, allowed us to develop an improved forest parameterization for SWAT. We tested our proposed parameterization at the watershed scale in Florida and Georgia and compared simulated LAI, biomass, and ET with the default model settings. Our results showed major improvements in predicted monthly LAI and ET based on MODIS reference data (NSE > 0.6). Simulated forest biomass also showed better agreement with the USDA forest biomass gridded data. Through a series of modeling experiments, we isolated the benefits of LAI, biomass, and ET in predicting streamflow and baseflow at the watershed level. The combined benefits of improved LAI, biomass, and ET predictions yielded the most optimal model configuration where terrestrial and in-stream processes were simulated reasonably well. We performed automated model calibration using two calibration strategies. In the first calibration scheme (M0), SWAT was calibrated for daily streamflow without adjusting LAI, biomass, and ET. In the second calibration scheme (MLAI+BM+ET), previously calibrated parameters constraining LAI, biomass, and ET were incorporated into the model and daily streamflow was recalibrated. The MLAI+BM+ET model showed superior performance and reduced uncertainties in predicting daily streamflow, with NSE values ranging from 0.52 to 0.8. Our findings highlight the importance of accurately representing forest dynamics in hydrological models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique Haas
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Latif Kalin
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
| | - Puneet Srivastava
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Assessing the Effect of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes on Discharge and Sediment Yield in a Rural Coal-Mine Dominated Watershed in Kentucky, USA. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14040516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The Appalachian Mountain region of eastern Kentucky is unique and contains high proportions of forestland along with coal and natural gas depositaries. Landscape changes due to extreme mining activities can eventually threaten the downstream ecosystems, including soil and water quality, resulting in excessive runoff and sedimentation. The purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes in streamflow and sediment yield in Yellow Creek Watershed, Kentucky, USA, between 1992 and 2016. LULC, digital elevation model, soil, and weather data were inputted into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate discharge and sediment yield. The model output was evaluated on several statistical parameters, such as the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE), RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR), percent bias (PBIAS), and the coefficient of determination (R2). In addition, two indices, P-factor and R-factor, were used to measure the prediction uncertainty. The calibrated model showed an increase in surface runoff and sediment yield due to changes in LULC in the Yellow Creek Watershed. The results provided important insights for studying water management strategies to make more informed land management decisions and adaptive practices.
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Lee CM, Choi H, Kim Y, Kim M, Kim H, Hamm SY. Characterizing land use effect on shallow groundwater contamination by using self-organizing map and buffer zone. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149632. [PMID: 34426351 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) contamination in groundwater is a major problem of drinking and domestic waters in rural areas. This study revealed the influence of land use type on shallow alluvial groundwaters in a typical rural area in South Korea by applying a self-organizing map (SOM), principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The uncertainty of spatial information on land use was improved by using a buffer zone of the average influence radius of 32.65 m surrounding wells. Two major land-use types, forests (44.9%) and rice fields (28.8%), occupied a total of 73.7% of the rural area. The higher concentrations of NO3-N in public facilities and livestock areas were demonstrated to directly recharge groundwater pollutants. NO3-N contamination in rice paddies, which also contained chlorine (Cl) and sulfate (SO4), was assessed according to the nutrients and residual salt in the soil. In addition, different NO3-N concentrations for the same land use indicate various biochemical reactions and NO3-N recharge types into the groundwater system. The shallow groundwaters in the study area were classified into three clusters according to their chemical constituents and land-use properties, especially NO3-N concentration, including pH, Cl, and SO4, using a SOM, PCA, and HCA. Unlike existing studies, we applied a buffer zone based on the Cooper-Jacob equation to obtain an improved SOM model prediction accuracy approximately 10% greater than that using the original dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Mo Lee
- Groundwater Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 34132, South Korea.
| | - Hanna Choi
- Groundwater Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 34132, South Korea.
| | - Yongcheol Kim
- Groundwater Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 34132, South Korea.
| | - MoonSu Kim
- Soil and Groundwater Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, South Korea.
| | - HyunKoo Kim
- Soil and Groundwater Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, South Korea.
| | - Se-Yeong Hamm
- Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, South Korea.
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Ament MR, Hurley SE, Voorhees M, Perkins E, Yuan Y, Faulkner JW, Roy ED. Balancing Hydraulic Control and Phosphorus Removal in Bioretention Media Amended with Drinking Water Treatment Residuals. ACS ES&T WATER 2021; 1:688-697. [PMID: 35187535 PMCID: PMC8849539 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.0c00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Green stormwater infrastructure like bioretention can reduce stormwater runoff volumes and trap sediments and pollutants. However, bioretention soil media can be both a sink and source of phosphorus (P). We investigated the potential tradeoff between hydraulic conductivity and P sorption capacity in drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs), with implications for bioretention media design. Batch isotherm and flow-through column experiments were used to quantify the maximum P sorption capacity (Smax) and rate of P sorption for three DWTR sources. Smax values varied greatly among DWTR sources and methodologies, which has implications for regulatory standards. We also conducted a large column experiment to determine the hydraulic and P removal effects of amending bioretention media with solid and mixed layers of DWTRs. When applied to bioretention media, the impact of DWTRs on hydraulic conductivity and P removal depended on layering strategy. Although DWTR addition in solid and mixed layer designs improved P removal, the solid layer restricted water flow and exhibited incomplete P removal, while the mixed layer had no effect on flow and removed ~100% of P inputs. We recommend that DWTRs be mixed with sand in bioretention media to simultaneously achieve stormwater drainage and P reduction goals in green stormwater infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Ament
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Stephanie E. Hurley
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Mark Voorhees
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1, Water Division, Boston MA 02109-3912, USA
| | - Eric Perkins
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1, Water Division, Boston MA 02109-3912, USA
| | - Yongping Yuan
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Joshua W. Faulkner
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Eric D. Roy
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
- Corresponding Author Phone: +1 802-656-7359.
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11
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Impact of Land Use Change on Water Conservation: A Case Study of Zhangjiakou in Yongding River. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su13010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The implementation of ecological projects can largely change regional land use patterns, in turn altering the local hydrological process. Articulating these changes and their effects on ecosystem services, such as water conservation, is critical to understanding the impacts of land use activities and in directing future land planning toward regional sustainable development. Taking Zhangjiakou City of the Yongding River as the study area—a region with implementation of various ecological projects—the impact of land use changes on various hydrological components and water conservation capacity from 2000 to 2015 was simulated based on a soil and water assessment tool model (SWAT). An empirical regression model based on partial least squares was established to explore the contribution of different land use changes on water conservation. With special focus on the forest having the most complex effects on the hydrological process, the impacts of forest type and age on the water conservation capacity are discussed on different scales. Results show that between 2000 and 2015, the area of forest, grassland and cultivated land decreased by 0.05%, 0.98% and 1.64%, respectively, which reduces the regional evapotranspiration (0.48%) and soil water content (0.72%). The increase in settlement area (42.23%) is the main reason for the increase in water yield (14.52%). Most land use covered by vegetation has strong water conservation capacity, and the water conservation capacity of the forest is particularly outstanding. Farmland and settlements tend to have a negative effect on water conservation. The water conservation capacity of forest at all scales decreased significantly with the growth of forest (p < 0.05), while the water conservation capacity of different tree species had no significant difference. For the study area, increasing the forest area will be an effective way to improve the water conservation function, planting evergreen conifers can rapidly improve the regional water conservation capacity, while planting deciduous conifers is of great benefit to long-term sustainable development.
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Wang W, Chen L, Shen Z. Dynamic export coefficient model for evaluating the effects of environmental changes on non-point source pollution. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 747:141164. [PMID: 32771783 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The classic export coefficient model has been questioned due to its fixed coefficient, especially for those large-scale watersheds where great temporal-spatial heterogeneity exists. In this paper, a dynamic export coefficient model (DECM) was proposed for simulating non-point source (NPS) pollution by incorporating the impacts of factors on export coefficients. The relationships between rainfall, slope, soil, land use, other factors and export coefficients were constructed at relatively smaller catchment based on the information of mechanistic-based model, while these dynamic export coefficients were then extended to the large ungauged basins. This new model was tested in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region (TGRR), China. The results indicated the new method improved the accuracy of large-scale NPS prediction as well as reducing the computation burden. The rainfall temporal variability was identified as the major factor influencing the variability of flow and NPS pollution with the coefficient of variation being 0.1678 and 0.2046, respectively. Using the new method, the Long watershed, the Jialing watershed, the Quxi watershed, the Xiangxi watershed and the main stream in the TGRR were identified as those sensitive regions under the changing environment. The DECM could be extended to other large scale to quantify the NPS pollution, especially data-poor watersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhuo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
| | - Zhenyao Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
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13
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Assessment of Rain Garden Effects for the Management of Urban Storm Runoff in Japan. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12239982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Storm runoff is a growing concern against a background of increasing urban densification, land-use adaptation and climate change. In this study, a storm water management model was used to analyze the hydrological and water-quality effects of rain gardens (also known as bioretention cells) as nonpoint source control solutions in low-impact development (LID) practices for an urban catchment in the Nakagyo Ward area of Kyoto in Japan. The results of simulations with input involving Chicago hyetographs derived for different rainfall return periods (referred to as 3 a, 5 a, 10 a, 30 a, 50 a and 100 a) indicated the effectiveness of this arrangement, in particular for rainstorm 3 a, which exhibited the maximum contaminant reduction ratio (Total Suspended Solids (TSS) 15.50%, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 16.17%, Total Nitrogen (TN) 17.34%, Total Phosphorus (TP) 19.07%) and a total runoff reduction volume of 46.56 × 106 L. With 5 a, the maximum number of flooding nodes was reduced to 87, demonstrating that rain gardens handle rainfall effectively over a five-year return period. There was a one-minute delay for 100 a, which again indicates that rain gardens support control of urban runoff and mitigate flooding. Such gardens were associated with reduced stormwater hazards and enhanced resistance to short-term rainstorms at the research site, and should be considered for urban planning in Kyoto and other cities all over the world.
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Wang R, Yuan Y, Yen H, Grieneisen M, Arnold J, Wang D, Wang C, Zhang M. A review of pesticide fate and transport simulation at watershed level using SWAT: Current status and research concerns. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 669:512-526. [PMID: 30884273 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The application of pesticides in agriculture is a widely-used way to alleviate pest stresses. However, it also introduces various environmental concerns due to the offsite movement of pesticide residues towards receiving water bodies. While the application of process-based modeling approaches can provide quantitative information on pesticide exposure, there are nonetheless growing requirements for model development and improvement to better represent various hydrological and physico-chemical conditions at watershed scale, and for better model integration to address environmental, ecological and economic concerns. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is an ecohydrological model used in over 3000 published studies, including about 50 for simulating pesticide fate and transport at the watershed scale. To better understand its strengths and limitations, we conducted a rigorous review of published studies that have used SWAT for pesticide modeling. This review provides recommendations for improving the interior algorithms (fate simulation, pathway representation, transport/pollution control, and other hydrological related improvement) to better represent natural conditions, and for further extension of pesticide exposure modeling using SWAT by linking it with other models or management tools to effectively address the various concerns of environmental researchers and local decision makers. Going beyond past studies, we also recommend future improvement to fill research gaps in developing modularized field level simulation, improved BMPs, new in-pond and in-stream modules, and the incorporation of soft data. Our review pointed out a new insight of pesticide fate and transport modeling at watershed level, which should be seen as steps leading to the direction for model development, as well as better addressing management concerns of local stakeholders for model implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Wang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Yongping Yuan
- USEPA/ORD/NERL, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, United States
| | - Haw Yen
- Blackland Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University, Temple, TX 76502, United States
| | - Michael Grieneisen
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Jeffrey Arnold
- Blackland Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University, Temple, TX 76502, United States
| | - Dan Wang
- Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA
| | - Chaozi Wang
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Minghua Zhang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
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15
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Nitrate Runoff Contributing from the Agriculturally Intensive San Joaquin River Watershed to Bay-Delta in California. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11102845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen loading from agricultural landscapes can trigger a cascade of detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. Recently, the spread of aquatic weed infestations (Eichhornia crassipes, Egeria densa, Ludwigia spp., and Onagraceae) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of northern California has raised concerns, and nitrogen loading from California’s intensive farming regions is considered as one of the major contributors. In this study, we employed the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate nitrogen exports from the agriculturally intensive San Joaquin River watershed to the Delta. The alternate tile drainage routine in SWAT was tested against monitoring data in the tile-drained area of the watershed to examine the suitability of the new routine for a tile nitrate simulation. We found that the physically based Hooghoudt and Kirkham tile drain routine improved model performance in representing tile nitrate runoff, which contributed to 40% of the nitrate loading to the San Joaquin River. Calibration results show that the simulated riverine nitrate loads matched the observed data fairly well. According to model simulation, the San Joaquin River plays a critical role in exporting nitrogen to the Delta by exporting 3135 tons of nitrate-nitrogen annually, which has a strong ecological implication in supporting the growth of aquatic weeds, which has impeded water flow, impairs commercial navigation and recreational activities, and degrades water quality in Bay-Delta waterways. Since nitrate loadings contributed by upstream runoff are an important nutrient to facilitate weed development, our study results should be seen as a prerequisite to evaluate the potential growth impact of aquatic weeds and scientific evidence for area-wide weed control decisions.
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16
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Chen J, Liu Y, Gitau MW, Engel BA, Flanagan DC, Harbor JM. Evaluation of the effectiveness of green infrastructure on hydrology and water quality in a combined sewer overflow community. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 665:69-79. [PMID: 30772580 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Evaluation of the effectiveness of green infrastructure (GI) practices on improving site hydrology and water quality and their associated cost could provide valuable information for decision makers when creating development/re-development strategies. In this study, a watershed scale rainfall-runoff model (the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Analysis - Low Impact Development model, the L-THIA-LID 2.1 model) was enhanced to improve its simulation of urban water management practices including GI practices. The enhanced model (L-THIA-LID 2.2) is capable of: simulating in more detail impervious surfaces including sidewalks, roads, driveways, and parking lots; conducting cost calculations for converting these impervious surfaces to porous pavements; and, selecting suitable areas for bioretention in the study area. The effectiveness of GI practices on improving hydrology and water quality in a combined sewer overflow urban watershed-the Darst Sewershed in the City of Peoria, IL-was examined in eleven simulation scenarios using 8 practices. The total cost and the cost effectiveness for each scenario considering a 20-year practice lifetime were calculated. Results showed: combined implementation of GI practices performed better than applying individual practices alone; adoption levels and combinations of GI practices could potentially reduce runoff volume by 0.2-23.5%, TSS by 0.18-30.8%, TN by 0.2-27.9%, and TP by 0.2 to 28.1%; adding more practices did not necessarily achieve substantial runoff and pollutant reductions based on site characteristics; the most cost-effective scenario out of eleven considered had an associated cost of $9.21 to achieve 1 m3 runoff reduction per year and $119 to achieve 1 kg TSS reduction per year assuming residents' cooperation in implementing GI practices on their properties; adoption of GI practices on all possible areas could potentially achieve the greatest runoff and pollutant reduction, but would not be the most cost-effective option. This enhanced model can be applied to different locations to support assessing the beneficial uses of GI practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingqiu Chen
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Yaoze Liu
- Department of Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Margaret W Gitau
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
| | - Bernard A Engel
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Dennis C Flanagan
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Jonathan M Harbor
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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17
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Wang R, Luo Y, Chen H, Yuan Y, Bingner RL, Denton D, Locke M, Zhang M. Environmental fate and impact assessment of thiobencarb application in California rice fields using RICEWQ. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 664:669-682. [PMID: 30763847 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Thiobencarb is a commonly used herbicide in Northern California rice fields. Released paddy water containing thiobencarb may pose ecological risks to non-targeted organisms. In this research, the Rice Water Quality Model (RICEWQ) is equilibrium tested and then calibrated using monitoring data at field level. Then it is employed to assess the environmental fate and impacts of thiobencarb in the Colusa Basin, and the effects of different management practices on water use and thiobencarb exposures. The model predicted thiobencarb concentrations from rice fields for multiple years throughout the Basin, using input from California Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) database, and assessed both the temporal/spatial distribution of thiobencarb exposure and potential acute toxicity on non-target organisms. Our study indicated that RICEWQ can accurately reflect the initial partitioning of thiobencarb in both paddy water and soil phases and capture the dynamics of thiobencarb at field level after calibration. Mandatory water holding is critical for reducing thiobencarb exposure in released paddy water. A thirty-day holding time reduces thiobencarb concentrations by 64% relative to a 6-day holding practice. The geo-spatial pattern of exposure in the study domain indicates the differing extents of pollutant levels and their distribution over space. "Risk zones" for different species were identified based on the geospatial patterns of thiobencarb exposure and the species-specific susceptibilities of various non-target species to thiobencarb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Wang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Yuzhou Luo
- Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA
| | - Huajin Chen
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Yongping Yuan
- USEPA/ORD/NERL, Research Triangle Park, NC 27111, USA
| | - Ronald L Bingner
- USDA-ARS Watershed Physical Processes and Water Quality & Ecology Research Unit, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
| | - Debra Denton
- USEPA, Standards and TMDLs office, Region 9, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA
| | - Martin Locke
- USDA-ARS Watershed Physical Processes and Water Quality & Ecology Research Unit, Oxford, MS 38655, USA
| | - Minghua Zhang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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18
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Hua L, Zhai L, Liu J, Liu H, Zhang F, Fan X. Effect of irrigation-drainage unit on phosphorus interception in paddy field system. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 235:319-327. [PMID: 30703646 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In lowland agriculture, paddy fields are present in the form of irrigation-drainage unit (IDU), which consists of paddy fields and natural ditches around the fields. Phosphorus (P) export from IDUs significantly impacts water quality in adjacent water bodies. In this study, we explored the characteristics and behavior of P in a typical IDU in Jianghan Plain, China. From 2012 to 2015, we measured P concentrations in different water components of the IDU, i.e., rainwater, irrigation water, field ponding water, runoff water and ditch water, and accounted for spatial and temporal variabilities of the P concentrations. Across the rice growing season, the highest total P (TP) concentration was observed in the field ponding water. Total P concentration in ditch water gradually declined and it reached 0.06 mg L-1 at the rice maturation stage. The concentration was lower than that of incoming irrigation water (0.13 mg L-1) and rainwater (0.17 mg L-1). Although both paddy soil and ditch sediment had low degree of P saturation, the ditch sediment had greater P binding energy (1.58 L mg-1) and larger maximum P sorption (526 mg kg-1) than the soil (0.88 L mg-1 and 455 mg kg-1, respectively). The P mass balance for the rice season over the four consecutive years showed a net depletion of 3.36-8.11 kg P ha-1 yr-1. Overall, IDUs substantially reduced the P concentrations in outputs from the IDUs as compared to inputs through irrigation and rainfall. The IDUs functioned for P retention by extending P settling time and natural degradation of P in the system. Optimizing the IDU management by controlling water discharge during fertilization and disturbance periods can be popularized for its cost saving and environmental benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Hua
- Key Laboratory of Nonpoint Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, PR China; Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Limei Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Nonpoint Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, PR China.
| | - Jian Liu
- School of Environment and Sustainability, Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X4, Canada
| | - Hongbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Nonpoint Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, PR China
| | - Fulin Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Soil and Fertilizer Sciences, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430064, PR China
| | - Xianpeng Fan
- Institute of Plant Protection, Soil and Fertilizer Sciences, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430064, PR China
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19
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Wang R, Chen H, Luo Y, Yen H, Arnold JG, Bubenheim D, Moran P, Zhang M. Modeling Pesticide Fate and Transport at Watershed Scale Using the Soil & Water Assessment Tool: General Applications and Mitigation Strategies. PESTICIDES IN SURFACE WATER: MONITORING, MODELING, RISK ASSESSMENT, AND MANAGEMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/bk-2019-1308.ch020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Wang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California,Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Huajin Chen
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California,Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Yuzhou Luo
- Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, California 95812, United States
| | - Haw Yen
- Blackland Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University,Temple, Texas 76502, United States
| | - Jeffrey George Arnold
- Blackland Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University,Temple, Texas 76502, United States
| | - David Bubenheim
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Patrick Moran
- USDA-ARS, Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Albany, California 94710, United States
| | - Minghua Zhang
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California,Davis, California 95616, United States
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20
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Coffey R, Paul M, Stamp J, Hamilton A, Johnson T. A REVIEW OF WATER QUALITY RESPONSES TO AIR TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION CHANGES 2: NUTRIENTS, ALGAL BLOOMS, SEDIMENT, PATHOGENS. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 2018; 55:844-868. [PMID: 33867785 PMCID: PMC8048137 DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we review the published, scientific literature addressing the response of nutrients, sediment, pathogens and cyanobacterial blooms to historical and potential future changes in air temperature and precipitation. The goal is to document how different attributes of water quality are sensitive to these drivers, to characterize future risk, to inform management responses and to identify research needs to fill gaps in our understanding. Results suggest that anticipated future changes present a risk of water quality and ecosystem degradation in many U.S. locations. Understanding responses is, however, complicated by inherent high spatial and temporal variability, interactions with land use and water management, and dependence on uncertain changes in hydrology in response to future climate. Effects on pollutant loading in different watershed settings generally correlate with projected changes in precipitation and runoff. In all regions, increased heavy precipitation events are likely to drive more episodic pollutant loading to water bodies. The risk of algal blooms could increase due to an expanded seasonal window of warm water temperatures and the potential for episodic increases in nutrient loading. Increased air and water temperatures are also likely to affect the survival of waterborne pathogens. Responding to these challenges requires understanding of vulnerabilities, and management strategies to reduce risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory Coffey
- Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Michael Paul
- Center for Ecological Sciences, Tetra Tech, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jen Stamp
- Center for Ecological Sciences, Tetra Tech, Inc., Montpelier, Vermont, USA
| | - Anna Hamilton
- Center for Ecological Sciences, Tetra Tech, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Thomas Johnson
- Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C., USA
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21
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Suttles KM, Singh NK, Vose JM, Martin KL, Emanuel RE, Coulston JW, Saia SM, Crump MT. Assessment of hydrologic vulnerability to urbanization and climate change in a rapidly changing watershed in the Southeast U.S. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 645:806-816. [PMID: 30032080 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study assessed the combined effects of increased urbanization and climate change on streamflow in the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed (North Carolina, USA) and focused on the conversion from forest to urban land use, the primary land use transition occurring in the watershed. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate future (2050-2070) streamflow and baseflow for four combined climate and land use scenarios across the Yadkin-Pee Dee River watershed and three subwatersheds. The combined scenarios pair land use change and climate change scenarios together. Compared to the baseline, projected streamflow increased in three out of four combined scenarios and decreased in one combined scenario. Baseflow decreased in all combined scenarios, but decreases were largest in subwatersheds that lost the most forest. The effects of land use change and climate change were additive, amplifying the increases in runoff and decreases in baseflow. Streamflow was influenced more strongly by climate change than land use change. However, for baseflow the reverse was true; land use change tended to drive baseflow more than climate change. Land use change was also a stronger driver than climate in the most urban subwatershed. In the most extreme land use and climate projection the volume of the 1-day, 100 year flood nearly doubled at the watershed outlet. Our results underscore the importance of forests as hydrologic regulators buffering streamflow and baseflow from hydrologic extremes. Additionally, our results suggest that land managers and policy makers need to consider the implications of forest loss on streamflow and baseflow when planning for future urbanization and climate change adaptation options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M Suttles
- Center for Integrated Forest Science, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Raleigh, NC, United States of America; Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America.
| | - Nitin K Singh
- Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources, 617 Main Street, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, United States of America; Gund Institute for Environment, The University of Vermont, United States of America
| | - James M Vose
- Center for Integrated Forest Science, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Raleigh, NC, United States of America; Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America
| | - Katherine L Martin
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America; Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, United States of America
| | - Ryan E Emanuel
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America; Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, United States of America
| | - John W Coulston
- Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, 1710 Research Center Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060-6349, United States of America
| | - Sheila M Saia
- Center for Integrated Forest Science, USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Raleigh, NC, United States of America; Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America
| | - Michael T Crump
- Mark Twain National Forest, USDA Forest Service, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla, MO 65401, United States of America
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22
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Water Quality Control Options in Response to Catchment Urbanization: A Scenario Analysis by SWAT. WATER 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/w10121846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization poses a challenge to sustainable catchment management worldwide. This study compares streamflows and nutrient loads in the urbanized Torrens catchment in South Australia at present and future urbanization levels, and addresses possible mitigation of urbanization effects by means of the control measures: river bank stabilization, buffer strip expansion, and wetland construction. A scenario analysis by means of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) based on the anticipated urban population density growth in the Torrens catchment over the next 30 years predicted a remarkable increase of streamflow and Total Phosphorous loads but decreased Total Nitrogen loads. In contrast, minor changes of model outputs were predicted under the present urbanization scenario, i.e. urban area expansion on the grassland. Scenarios of three feasible control measures demonstrated best results for expanding buffer zone to sustain stream water quality. The construction of wetlands along the Torrens River resulted in the reduction of catchment runoff, but only slight decreases in TN and TP loads. Overall, the results of this study suggested that combining the three best management practices by the adaptive development of buffer zones, wetlands and stabilized river banks might help to control efficiently the increased run-off and TP loads by the projected urbanization of the River Torrens catchment.
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