Long-term variations and causal factors in nitrogen and phosphorus transport in the Yellow River, China

Abstract

This paper is to examine the water quality of the Yellow River basin on the basis of collated data of nitrogen (40 years) and phosphorus (20 years), and also of the relevant chemical fertilizer application, population, and industrial wastewater, etc. Relationship among these elements was discussed in order to explore their causal links, in relation to the temporal variation of nitrogen and phosphorus transportation. Results indicate that the transported nitrogen load in the lower Yellow River has had an increasing trend during the past 40 years but declined considerably in the later 1990s due to the reduction in flow discharge that led to desiccation of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Whereas, nitrogen contribution to the estuary from Huayuankou to Lijin reach was minus due to the large amount of water diversion from the Yellow River for irrigation purpose. Phosphorus content fluctuated within a certain range without any tendency, but also decreased in the later 1990s due to the desiccation in the lower reaches. Our analysis indicates that nitrogen load in the Yellow River has been mainly impacted by population growth and nitrogen fertilizer application, but showed no statistically significant relationship with wastewater loads. In contrast, total phosphorus content in the Yellow River showed no relationship with population, fertilizer use and wastewater discharge in the basin, but presented significant correlation with suspended solids concentration of the Yellow River. Calculations indicate that the phosphorus content in suspended solids of the Yellow River was 0.54 g/kg, which is quite close to the background value of phosphorus in the soil of the Loess Plateau – the intensive soil erosion area in China, through which the Yellow River flows. Therefore, we conclude that phosphorus transportation in the Yellow River is dominantly controlled by soil erosion from the Loess Plateau. The results are significant for estuarine management in that nitrogen, a key factor in marine eutrophication, is chiefly from anthropogenic sources whereas the large phosphorus loads are controlled by erosion of loess soils.