Apportionment and uncertainty analysis of nitrate sources based on the dual isotope approach and a Bayesian isotope mixing model at the watershed scale

Abstract

Identifying and eliminating pollutant sources of water bodies is critical for drinking water safety. In this research, river water, reservoir water and groundwater samples (n = 259) were collected from November 2015 to January 2017. Spatial Analysis was made of the isotopic compositions of potential nitrate sources (i.e., manure, sewage, chemical nitrogen fertilizer, soil organic nitrogen and rainfall) so as to obtain the site source isotopic signatures. Different sources pools and fractionation factors were loaded to a Bayesian isotope mixing model to ensure posterior estimates with less uncertainty. Results showed that the total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in Hexi Reservoir watershed were higher than the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water of China (GB 3838-2002), and NO3−-N was the dominant form of TN (accounting for 68.63% on average). There are significant spatio-temporal variations in the isotope data (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) and the dominant nitrate sources, which were related to the land use types. Loading the site source isotopic signatures to the Bayesian isotope mixing model effectively improved the accuracy and precision of nitrate source apportionment. Chemical nitrogen fertilizer (NF) was the foremost largest contributor of NO3−-N (38.82%), especially for Hexi North Stream (34.19%) and Yangmei Stream (44.39%), while atmospheric deposition (AD) contributed the least to NO3−-N (0.47%) of river water in the watershed; soil organic nitrogen (NS) contributed more to NO3−-N in the dry season than in the wet season; and manure and sewage (M&S) contributed approximately 30.22% in the whole study period, 53.60% in September 2016 and 41.33% in Hexi South Stream. This research suggests that combination of Spatial Analysis and the Bayesian isotope mixing model with the measured isotopic signatures of potential nitrate sources accurately apportion the nitrate source contributions.