Abstract
Surface water is the main source of irrigation and drinking water for rural communities by the Hulan River basin, an important grain-producing region in northeastern China. Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of water quality and its driving forces is critical for sustainable development and the protection of water resources in the basin. Following sample collection and testing, the spatial distribution and driving forces of water quality were investigated using cluster analysis, hydrochemical feature partitioning, and Gibbs diagrams. The results demonstrated that the surface waters of the Hulan River Basin tend to be medium–weakly alkaline with a low degree of mineralization and water-rock interaction. Changes in topography and land use, confluence, application of pesticides and fertilizers, and the development of tourism were found to be important driving forces affecting the water quality of the basin. Non-point source pollution load fluxes of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were simulated using the Soil Water and Assessment Tool. The simulation demonstrated that the non-point source pollution loading is low upstream and increases downstream. The distributions of N and P loading varied throughout the basin. The findings of this study provide information regarding the spatial distribution of water quality in the region and present a scientific basis for future pollution control.
Highlights
Rivers are an important component of the global water cycle, connecting the two major ecosystems of land and sea and providing a critical link in the biogeochemical cycle
The cluster analysis and principal component dimensionality reduction analysis were used to classify rivers in Hulan basin based on the spatial distribution of pollutants
The total dissolved solids (TDS) of Group B is higher as compared to the Hulan River mainstream, which in turn is higher as compared to Group A
Summary
Rivers are an important component of the global water cycle, connecting the two major ecosystems of land and sea and providing a critical link in the biogeochemical cycle. Studies on river water chemical characteristics can provide important information on geochemical behavior, rock weathering, and human activities in a basin[1,2,3]. The main driving forces affecting river water chemistry include land use and land cover changes[6,7,8,9,10], rainfall intensity, pollution build-up levels, wastewater discharges, and anthropogenic influences[11,12,13]. Pollution inputs to surface water result in the evolution and deterioration of river water quality. Non-point source pollution, mainly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), has led to excessive nutrient inputs and surface water quality decline. Non-point source inputs of these pollutants are difficult to measure and adjust because these elements come from various human activities that are distributed over a large area. Eutrophication severely impacts aquatic ecosystems and threatens water use for drinking, industry, agriculture, and recreation[17,18]
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