Spatio-temporal variation of net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs in the upper Yangtze River basin from 1990 to 2012

Abstract

Abstract The net anthropogenic nitrogen input (NANI) is an important nutrient source that causes eutrophication in water bodies. Understanding the spatio-temporal variation of NANI is important for regional environment assessment and management. This paper calculated NANI in the upper Yangtze River basin (YRB), upstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), from 1990 to 2012, and analyzed its spatio-temporal characteristics. Over the past 23 years of the study, the average annual NANI increased from 3200 kg N km - 2 to 4931 kg N km - 2. The major components were fertilizer N application, atmospheric N deposition, and net food and feed N import. In the northwest high mountainous region with a sparse population, the main component was atmospheric N deposition. Fertilizer N application and net food and feed N import were concentrated in the Chengdu Plain because of the high population density and large areas of farmland. This research found that NANI increased with rapid urbanization and increasing population. The Pearson correlation results illustrated that the spatial distributions of NANI and its major components were affected by land cover/use, agricultural GDP and total population. Increasing NANI has been the major cause of the degrading stream water quality over the past 20 years and is becoming a major threat to the water quality of the TGD reservoir.