Abstract
Nitrate is usually the main pollution factor in the river water and groundwater environment because it has the characteristics of stable properties, high solubility and easy migration. In order to ensure the safety of water supply and effectively control nitrate pollution, it is very important to accurately identify the pollution sources of nitrate in freshwater environment. At present, as the most accurate source analysis method, isotope technology is widely used to identify the pollution sources of nitrate in water environment. However, the complexity of nitrate pollution sources and nitrogen migration and transformation in the water environment, coupled with the isotopic fractionation, has changed the nitrogen and oxygen isotopic values of nitrate in the initial water body, resulting in certain limitations in the application of this technology. This review systematically summarized the typical δ15N and δ18O-NO3− ranges of NO3− sources, described the progress in the application of isotope technique to identify nitrate pollution sources in water environment, analyzed the application of isotope technique in identifying the migration and transformation of nitrogen in water environment, and introduced the method of quantitative source apportionment. Lastly, we discussed the deficiency of isotope technique in nitrate pollution source identification and described the future development direction of the pollution source apportionment of nitrate in water environment.
Highlights
Nitrate in the water environment has the characteristics of stable properties, high solubility and easy migration
In order to improve the accuracy of pollution source analysis and obtain effective information on the migration and transformation of nitrogen in the water environment, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes can be combined with hydrochemical data or other isotopic data to trace nitrate pollution sources and nitrogen biogeochemical processes in more detail
In order to prevent the continuous increase in nitrate concentration in freshwater environments, it is necessary to accurately analyze the pollution source of nitrate
Summary
Nitrate in the water environment has the characteristics of stable properties, high solubility and easy migration. With the acceleration of urbanization, industrialization, and the rapid growth of population, the impact of human activities (such as excessive application of agricultural chemical fertilizer, substandard discharge of sewage, landfill leakage, chemical fuel leakage, and so on) on the river and groundwater environment has increased, resulting in an increase in the nitrate concentration in freshwater annually. The traditional method of judging the nitrate pollution sources in a river and groundwater environment is to investigate the land use type of the polluted area and combine the local hydrochemical characteristics [10]. This method is simple, but the results can be inaccurate [11]. (2) research progress in identifying the nitrate pollution sources in a freshwater environment by isotope technology; (3) research advances in isotope technology to identify the migration and transformation of nitrogen in freshwater environment; (4) quantitative analysis of nitrate pollution sources by combining with the stable isotope and model in a freshwater environment; and (5) research deficiency and prospect
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