Identification of Nitrate Source of Surface Water in a Typical Peri-urban Watershed in the Tableland of the Loess Plateau, China

Abstract

With the rapid development of industry and agriculture, nitrate pollution in surface water has become one of the serious environmental problems in the Loess Plateau region. In this study, Yanwachuan watershed, a typical suburban watershed in the gully region of a loess plateau, was selected as the research area. Using hydrochemical data and nitrogen and oxygen bistable isotopes, combined with the SIAR model, the contribution rates of different pollution sources of nitrate in surface water in the dry season and wet season were quantitatively identified, and the main reasons for seasonal differences in different pollution sources were clarified. The results showed that inorganic nitrogen mainly existed in the form of NO3--N and NO2--N, and the average concentration of NO3--N and NO2--N in the wet season was higher than that in the dry season, whereas NH4+-N showed the opposite characteristics. Nitrification was the main process of nitrate transformation in the surface water of the basin. In the wet season, the main sources of nitrate were manure and sewage, whereas in the dry season, manure, sewage, and soil N leaching were the dominant sources, followed by ammonium fertilizer. The contribution proportion of different pollution sources to nitrate in surface water of the watershed showed significant seasonal differences. The sewage had the highest contribution, accounting for 31.40% and 65.66% in the dry season and rainy season, respectively, and the contribution of sewage to NO3- in the wet season was much higher than that in the dry season. The increase in residential water consumption in summer led to a large amount of sewage discharge into the watershed.