Large Amount Of Water Resources Research Articles

A Review of Industrial Water Resources Efficiency

With the acceleration of China 's industrialization process and industrial upgrading, the efficient use and fine management of industrial water resources have become an increasingly important issue of industrial development and environmental protection. Industrial production activities not only consume a large amount of water resources, but also may lead to water pollution. Improving the efficiency of industrial water resources not only helps to save the total amount of water resources, but also reduces the harm of pollution emissions to the natural environment. This paper summarizes the current situation of industrial water resources efficiency and effective management strategies, including policy support and technological innovation.

Effects of Bio-Organic Fertilizers Substitution on Gaseous Nitrogen Losses in Rice Fields

Traditional practices for managing irrigation and fertilizer in Chinese rice fields have historically consumed large amounts of water resources and caused serious gaseous nitrogen losses (ammonia volatilization and N2O), resulting in low water and fertilizer use efficiency. While both water-saving irrigation and substituting organic fertilizer for chemical fertilizer can impact ammonia volatilization and N2O emissions, the impact of their combined application on gaseous nitrogen loss in rice fields remains unclear. To achieve this goal, we conducted a two-year experiment using two irrigation methods and three bio-organic fertilizer substitution modes. The experiment investigated the effect of different irrigation and fertilizer management techniques on gaseous nitrogen losses in rice fields. The result indicated that controlled irrigation could reduce the peak value of ammonia volatilization by 36.8~75.9% and ammonia volatilization accumulation by 45.8%. However, it also leads to a 71.4% increase in N2O accumulation emissions, resulting in a 43.0% reduction in gaseous nitrogen losses. Compared to full chemical fertilizers, bio-organic fertilizer substitution could effectively reduce the peak of N2O and ammonia volatilization. Cumulative ammonia volatilization and N2O emissions went down by 22.7~60.0% and 38.6~42.6%, respectively. This then led to a 23.4~52.9% drop in total gaseous nitrogen losses. In contrast, the utilization of controlled irrigation and bio-organic fertilizer substitution did not have a significant impact on rice yield. However, it did reduce the intensity of gaseous nitrogen loss from rice fields by 42.7% and 22.5% to 56.5%, respectively. When taken together, the substitution of bio-organic fertilizer in controlled irrigation can effectively reduce gaseous nitrogen losses while maintaining rice yields. This study has significant practical implications for reducing nitrogen loss from paddy fields, improving water and fertilizer utilization, and achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Features of the architecture of nuclear power plants

The article analyses the peculiarities of the specific industrial landscape of nuclear power plants on the basis of domestic and foreign experience and highlights the importance of adapting these industrial complexes with a heavy technological regime to modern architectural post-industrial requirements. The architecture of nuclear power plants (hereinafter referred to as NPPs) is often a subject of debate. Some people believe that NPPs are a symbol of technological progress and should be presented as monumental structures. Others believe that NPPs are potentially dangerous facilities and should be built in a more modest style. Most industrial facilities, such as NPPs, were built in the industrial era and do not meet the requirements of the post-industrial era in terms of environmental friendliness, adaptability and architectural coherence. This is due to the duration of their construction and the environment in which they are located. Therefore, they need to be modernised. Analysing the architectural features of nuclear power plants, the author has determined that, regardless of the architectural style, NPPs usually have several common features, namely: large, monumental buildings that emphasise their importance, features that reflect their technological nature, such as cooling towers and reactor units. Due to the regional location, NPPs have their own peculiarities in composition and architectural decoration, which can not only modernise the appearance, but also depict elements of national identification. Due to their location on the ground, in a certain established natural environment, NPPs require a large amount of water resources due to the peculiarities of the heavy technological regime (reactor type) that takes place at the enterprise, so they are located on the ground near water bodies and reservoirs, and sometimes absorb entire rivers and lakes for the needs of technological processes. The mountainous terrain factor is equally important. It affects the architectural landscape of NPPs and their authenticity. Equally important is the period in which the plant was designed and built, as nuclear power is an important economic and political component of the country where it is produced. In terms of form, space and volume solutions, typology, and architectural and planning principles, it is possible to draw an analogy with the stage of development of a state.

Hydrogeochemical characteristics and recharge sources identification based on isotopic tracing of alpine rivers in the Tibetan Plateau

Alpine rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) contain large amounts of water resources with high environmental sensitivity and eco-fragility. To clarify the variability and controlling factors of hydrochemistry on the headwater of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YTR), the large river basin with the highest altitude in the world, water samples from the Chaiqu watershed were collected in 2018, and major ions, δ2H and δ18O of river water were analyzed. The values of δ2H (mean: −141.4‰) and δ18O (mean: −18.6‰) were lower than those in most Tibetan rivers, which followed the relationship: δ2H = 4.79*δ18O-52.2. Most river deuterium excess (d-excess) values were lower than 10‰ and positively correlated with altitude controlled by regional evaporation. The SO42− in the upstream, the HCO3− in the downstream, and the Ca2+ and Mg2+ were the controlling ions (accounting for >50% of the total anions/cations) in the Chaiqu watershed. Stoichiometry and principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that sulfuric acid stimulated the weathering of carbonates and silicates to produce riverine solutes. This study promotes understanding water source dynamics to inform water quality and environmental management in alpine regions.

The Role of Water Resources on the Distribution of Rural Settlements in Khdiran District

The role of water resources on the distribution of rural settlements in Khdiran sub-district Water, one of the most important natural resources, is constantly renewed in nature and therefore considered a renewable resource. It is also one of the resources without which life cannot be sustained. Currently, the lack of ability to provide the necessary amount of water is considered one of the biggest problems at the global, international, and even regional levels. In this research, we discuss the impact of water resources on the distribution of rural settlements in Khdiran subdistrict. The importance of this research is that it presents the relationship and impact of water resources on rural settlements in the Khdiran sub-district in a scientific manner through the use of several modern maps and equations. The main objective of the research is to identify the role of water resources on the distribution and size of rural settlements in the study area and find the relationship between them. The preparation of water resource maps in the study area and the selection of village centers to show the relationship between them divided the study into two parts: The first part is to introduce the environmental characteristics of the study area. In this study, we have reached some results, including: The location of the study area contributes to the richness of the area in water resources based on its natural characteristics, which play an important role. Residents in the study area rely more on groundwater for their daily activities and use less surface water. The availability of large amounts of water resources in the form of surface and groundwater affects the distribution, density, and pattern of human settlements like this: A. Distribution of large human settlements near streams, rivers, and springs. B. Scattered patterns appear at the regional level according to the nearest neighbor coefficient due to the distribution of human settlements on the main streams and rivers.

Analysis on the application of intelligent system for automatic spray maintenance and dust suppression of super high-rise core tube

In recent years, with the rapid growth of China’s social economy and the rapid development of the construction industry, the number of high-rise and super-high-rise buildings in cities has increased significantly, providing great convenience for people’s lives. During the construction of super-high-rise buildings, a large amount of water resources are needed to maintain concrete, and the effective application of the intelligent system of automatic spray maintenance and dust reduction of super-high-rise core tube can not only effectively solve the problem that the outside maintenance of super-high-rise core tube shear wall is not in place, but also ensure the dust control effect on the construction site and realize the recycling of water resources. Based on this, the thesis will take automatic identification, mobile terminal control, rapid maintenance and dust reduction as the main ideas, and elaborate the dust reduction and maintenance automation of super-storey buildings in urban centers.

The financial competitiveness of photovoltaic installations in water utilities: The case of the Tagus-Segura water transfer system

The Tagus-Segura water transfer is a large infrastructure that allows the distribution of a large amount of water resources, which is associated with a significant energy cost. Therefore, energy improvements are a fundamental tool to reduce one of the main financial costs of the infrastructure, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases. For this reason, the feasibility of self-consumption through photovoltaic solar panels has been analysed, which requires a significant initial investment, but can be recovered over the lifetime of the panels due to the savings obtained yearly. The incorporation into the article of a sensitivity analysis of the price of energy and the amount of energy produced makes the analysis robust, as it can be seen that, although there is vulnerability with respect to variations in these variables, the risk of losses is low.

The optimal allocation and the evaluation of water resources carrying capacity in Shendong mining area

Coal mining has consumed a large amount of water resources in China, and the entire industrial chain of coal production has a larger consumption of water resources than the past especially in Shendong mining area. The water resources carrying capacity determines the scale of coal industry development. The previous research had been conducted at the national, provincial and municipal levels, but there were few studies on the water resources carrying capacity of coal mining areas. The Shendong mining area is located in the coal-rich and water-scarce western region, where precipitation is low and evaporation is high. As a water-scarce area, the development of Shendong mining area is inseparable from the support of coal resources and the rational use of water resources. Therefore, firstly, taking the Shendong mining area as the research object, this paper set high, medium and low scenarios according to the development goals of Shendong mining area, Shenhua Group and the plans of China. The gray forecast model was used to predict the water demand of the economic-social-ecological system of the mining area from 2020 to 2030 under different scenarios. Secondly, a multi-objective optimization model was established with the objective function to optimize the water resources allocation in Shendong mining area. Thirdly, based on the forecast and optimization results, a water resources carrying capacity evaluation model was constructed to evaluate the water resources carrying capacity of the Shendong mining area. Finally, based on the results, the suggestions for rational development and the utilization of water resources in the Shendong mining area were proposed.

The Process-Mode-Driving Force of Cropland Expansion in Arid Regions of China Based on the Land Use Remote Sensing Monitoring Data

The center of gravity of China’s new cropland has shifted from Northeast China to the Xinjiang oasis areas where the ecological environment is relatively fragile. However, we currently face a lack of a comprehensive review of the cropland expansion in oasis areas of Xinjiang, which is importantly associated with the sustainable use of cropland, social stability and oasis ecological security. In this study, the land use remote sensing monitoring data in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018 were used to comprehensively analyze the process characteristics, different modes and driving mechanisms of the cropland expansion in Xinjiang, as well as its spatial heterogeneity at the oasis area level. The results revealed that cropland in Xinjiang continued to expand from 5803 thousand hectares in 1990 to 8939 thousand hectares in 2018 and experienced three stages of expansion: steady expansion, rapid expansion, and slow expansion. The center of gravity of cropland showed the characteristic of shifting to the South. Edge expansion and encroachment on grassland were the dominant spatial pattern mode and land use conversion mode of Xinjiang’s cropland expansion, respectively. The expansion of cropland in Xinjiang was affected by multiple factors. Irrigation conditions played a dominant role. Topography indirectly affected cropland expansion by affecting the suitability of agricultural production and development. Population growth and farmers’ income were important driving forces. There was significant spatial heterogeneity in the intensity, mode and driving force of cropland expansion among different oasis areas in Xinjiang. The spatial shift of China’s new cropland has occupied a large amount of water resources and ecological land in Xinjiang and exacerbated the vulnerability of the ecosystem in arid regions. The key to sustainable management of cropland in Xinjiang in the future lies in maintaining an appropriate scale of cropland and promoting the coordinated development of cropland, population, water resources and industry.

Quantifying virtual water scarcity risk transfers of energy system in China

Water scarcity problem has become a major constraint in energy development. In this paper, we calculated virtual water flows and virtual water scarcity risk transfers driven by interprovincial energy consumption in China using multi-regional input–output analysis. The results of virtual water scarcity risk transfers show that major virtual water scarcity risk importers will be the “victims” suffering the consequences of increasing virtual water scarcity risks in the national energy system. For major virtual water scarcity risk exporters, they will transfer virtual water scarcity risks to downstream provinces along energy supply chains, threatening the stability of the national energy system. The promotion of energy policies and the energy consumption of developed regions make the water-deficient northwest regions export a large amount of water resources to the east and south regions. Therefore, it is necessary to fully consider local water scarcity and evaluate the impact on water environment before the construction of energy bases. Our findings can be used to provide a reference value for policymakers to develop new energy strategies and manage water resources sustainably.

Evaluation and Scenario Prediction of the Water-Energy-Food System Security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt Based on the RF-Haken Model

As an important agricultural production area in China, the Yangtze River Economic Belt has a large amount of water resources and rich types of energy. Water and energy resources are the supporting basis of food production, and the production and use of energy also need to consume a large amount of water resources. The three affect each other and are interdependent. Paying attention to the synergistic security of water-energy-food system in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is important for regional economic development. This paper uses the pressure-state-response (PSR) model and selects 27 indicators to build an evaluation index system of the regional water-energy-food system. We use the random forest model to evaluate the security level of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2008 to 2017, and the Haken model is employed to identify the driving factors that dominate the synergistic evolution of the system. Then we take the identified factors as the key control variables under each scenario and launch a scenario simulation of some provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in 2025. The results show that due to the improvement of water and energy utilization efficiency and the advancement of agricultural production technology, the level of water-energy-food security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt improved significantly from 2008 to 2017. Each province performs differently in different subsystems, with water resources security being better in the upper reaches and Zhejiang and Shanghai in the lower reaches, and food security being better in the middle and lower reaches. The level of energy security is high in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou in the upper reaches and Shanghai and Anhui in the lower reaches. According to the results of scenario prediction for Jiangsu Province and Hubei Province in 2025, implementing moderate management in accordance with current management objectives can increase the overall security of the system to level 4. The two provinces should focus on controlling water resources and energy consumption and improving the utilization efficiency of water and energy in agricultural production.

Estimating reservoir evaporation: fusing Kohli and Frenken method and the FAO’s WaPOR Product

Given the limited fresh water resources available, evaporation from dam reservoirs and freshwater lakes whereby large amounts of water resources are lost is now becoming a serious challenge in hydrology and water resource management. In this study, Kohli and Frenken (KF) method and the KF modified (MKF) (for the modification of this method, level I (250 m) reference evapotranspiration (RET) data were obtained from the FAO’s WaPOR Product (FWP) which is a ready product based on remote sensing (RS)) were utilized to estimate reservoir evaporation (RE) in seventeen stations in Iran for the period of 9 years: 2009–2018. The current study includes four distinct steps, as follows. In the first step, the KF method was evaluated with the ground data (measured), and the ready RS product was then validated in the second step. In the third step, we evaluated the MKF method. Finally, in the fourth step, a number of statistical indices were evaluated for each of the methods in order to examine its performance. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the estimated evaporation values using KF method and the measured values based on the statistical indices. As such, the validation of the ready RS product was acceptable for all dam reservoirs. Moreover, it was found that coefficients of the MKF equation for all stations had a relatively high degree of reliability (R〉0.871). Also, these coefficients had a wide range of variations in different regions, so using a fixed coefficient for all stations will have a relatively large error. The findings also revealed that using the MKF method can improve the performance of the KF method from 0.11 to 9.28%.

基于数据包络分析方法的城市水资源利用效率研究

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于数据包络分析方法的城市水资源利用效率研究 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201903020385 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 中国科学院前沿项目（QYZDY-SSW-DQC004）；北京市科技计划项目（Z171100004417025）；广东省省级科技计划项目（2016B02024007） Efficiency assessment of water resource utilization cities based on data envelopment analysis Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: Frontier Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (QYZDY-SSW-DQC004); Beijing Science and Technology Plan Project (Z171100004417025); Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project (2016B02024007) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:为了对我国城市水资源利用效率问题进行分析和评价，本文基于数据包络分析方法，从农业、工业、生活、社会等几个方面共选取了5个输入指标及6个输出指标，利用AIC信息准则（Akaike information criterion）进行了变量选择，构建了较为科学合理的用水效率评价指标体系.在此基础上，采用香农熵指数提升了传统CCR（由Charnes A，Cooper W W，Rhodes E提出）模型的识别能力，选取我国31个省会城市为研究对象，给出了省会城市水资源效率的完整排名。结果表明：①绝大部分城市综合效率得分（CES，Comprehensive efficiency score）普遍不高，投入产出比仍有较大的进步空间；②拉萨、北京、天津、银川、海口、上海等城市CES得分相对较高，这说明一个城市水资源利用效率的高低与经济发展水平可能没有必然的联系，其他城市应结合自身情况向CES得分靠前的城市进行学习；③重庆、南宁、南昌、长沙等水资源较丰富的城市CES得分反而较低，表明这些城市可能存在大量水资源被浪费，应建立起节水机制，同时优化产业结构。 Abstract:Improving efficiency of water resources utilization is the key to alleviate the contradiction between water supply and demand while achieving sustainable economic and social development. In order to analyze and evaluate the water consumption efficiency of the provincial capital cities in China, this paper selected five input indicators and six output indicators from agriculture, industry, life and society based on data envelopment analysis method. Then we used Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) for variable selection and constructed a scientific and rational water-use efficiency indicator system. On this basis, the Shannon Entropy Index is used to enhance the recognition ability of the traditional CCR model, and the complete ranking of water resources efficiency in the provincial capitals is given. The results show that (1) the comprehensive efficiency scores (CES) of most cities are not high. Their input-output ratio still has a lot of room for improvement. (2) The scores of CES in Lasa, Beijing, Tianjin, Yinchuan, Haikou, Shanghai etc. are relatively high, which indicate that there may be no necessary connection between the level of water use efficiency of a city and the level of economic development. At the same time, other cities should combine their own conditions to learn from cities with higher scores in CES. (3) Cities such as Chongqing, Nanning, Nanchang, and Changsha are rich in water resources, but the CES is not ideal. This shows that a large amount of water resources may be wasted and these cities should optimize their industrial structures while establishing a water-saving mechanism. In addition, due to the lack of variable selection system in most literatures and the inadequacy of traditional models in the ability of efficiency identification, this paper innovatively combined the AIC variable selection method, data envelopment analysis method, and Shannon Entropy Index method. The combination of the three methods can achieve the advantages and disadvantages of complementarity, not only fully consider a large number of input and output variables, make the analysis closer to reality, the variable indicator system obtained by the AIC criterion also perfectly conforms to the meaning of actual water resource utilization efficiency. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Hydro-sedimentological computational tool: case study of the Mogi-Guaçu SHP (Brazil-SP)

The hydro-sedimentological studies are complex and of great importance, mostly in countries with large amounts of water resources and with its energy matrix predominantly hydraulic. The assessment of the amount of sediment carried through water bodies is more difficult mainly due to the amount of involved quantities, which require the adoption of probabilistic or deterministic estimation methods. In this context, this paper presents a case study that applies the hydros-sedimentological module from the computational tool NH Statistic and Sediment, developed by one of the authors, written in Visual Basic for Applications to determine total sediment discharge using data from the Mogi-Guaçu Small Hydro Electric Power Plant (SP-Brazil). Among the surveys, the reduction of total sediment discharge was verified, which was expected. Likewise, the results provided by the developed computational tool were compared to the results of other softwares showing minimal differences, giving validity and consistency to the applied method. It’s worth mentioning that the method used in this case study may be replicated in other places, giving more information to assist the water resource management.

Sub-Daily Simulation of Mountain Flood Processes Based on the Modified Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model.

Floods not only provide a large amount of water resources, but they also cause serious disasters. Although there have been numerous hydrological studies on flood processes, most of these investigations were based on rainfall-type floods in plain areas. Few studies have examined high temporal resolution snowmelt floods in high-altitude mountainous areas. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is a typical semi-distributed, hydrological model widely used in runoff and water quality simulations. The degree-day factor method used in SWAT utilizes only the average daily temperature as the criterion of snow melting and ignores the influence of accumulated temperature. Therefore, the influence of accumulated temperature on snowmelt was added by increasing the discriminating conditions of rain and snow, making that more suitable for the simulation of snowmelt processes in high-altitude mountainous areas. On the basis of the daily scale, the simulation of the flood process was modeled on an hourly scale. This research compared the results before and after the modification and revealed that the peak error decreased by 77% and the time error was reduced from ±11 h to ±1 h. This study provides an important reference for flood simulation and forecasting in mountainous areas.

The water footprint of coal-fired electricity production and the virtual water flows associated with coal and electricity transportation in China

Coal-fired electricity industry is the high-water-consumption sector and the coal and electricity trade among different regions drives virtual water flow which embedded in the coal and coal-fired electricity products. In North China regions, a large amount of water was consumed by coal and electricity products, and transferred to the South China in terms of virtual water. This study calculated the water footprint of coal and coal-fired electricity products in seven regions all over China and established a theoretical system to analyse the virtual water flow regime associated with the coal and electricity trade. Besides, a map of the virtual water flow in China is drawn. The results show that the water footprint of the energy industry in the Eastern and North-western regions is much higher than that of other areas, the water footprint in 2015 is 2.4×109m3 and 3.2×109m3, which is mainly due to the large demand for electricity production in the Eastern regions. And the Northwest region is rich in energy resources, which require large amount of water resources for coal mining and electricity generation. However, in the recent years, the Northwest regions are the highest output of virtual water regions, from 3.7×108m3 in 2000 to 8.6×108m3 in 2015, accounting for 35% of the water footprint of the coal power industry in the region. There is almost no out-flow virtual water in the Eastern and Southern regions. The virtual water of water resources in water-scarce regions is transported to the water-rich regions, which will lead to larger pressure on the water resources in the Northwest region. Therefore, the physical water transfer (e.g. South-to-North Water Diversion Project) is not only the efficient measure to cope with the water issues related to energy production, and the virtual water regulation is also an efficient way for sustainable water management in the future.

Dynamical impact of parameterized turbulent orographic form drag on the simulation of winter precipitation over the western Tibetan Plateau

Sub-grid orographic drag directly acts on wind and impacts the regional water cycle through control of atmospheric water vapor (AWV) transport. The effect of turbulent orographic form drag (TOFD) on wind and precipitation is investigated in this study using the WRF model for a winter month over the western Tibetan Plateau (TP), where solid precipitation supplies large amounts of water resources. The diurnal cycle of wind components and atmospheric circulation simulated with TOFD are consistent with observations and ERA-Interim data, whereas stronger westerlies exist in the simulation without the TOFD scheme. The latter results in more zonal AWV transport from the west and more precipitation over the western TP and surroundings. The implementation of the TOFD scheme leads to reduced biases, when evaluated with two observation-based precipitation products. It is therefore concluded that this scheme has a clear dynamical control on the regional atmospheric water recharge and thus the parameterization of the small-scale orographic drag in the model helps to improve the prediction of wintertime precipitation in the western TP region.

The impacts of interprovincial agricultural trade on water resources in China: from perspective of grey water footprint

As the largest water consumption sector, agriculture sector plays a significant role in water resources reallocating via economic trade. Different from previous studies focusing on the impacts of economic trade on water quantity, this paper concentrates on the impacts on the water quality. Grey water footprint (GWF) of agricultural sector is used for investigating the impacts of trade on water resources. In this paper, the regional virtual grey water of agricultural trade network was built based on the GWF and multiregional input–output analysis. The GWF for agricultural sector in each region was inventoried. Then GWF of agriculture embodied in monetary flows among regions were calculated using multiregional input–output analysis. The main results showed that Shandong, Henan, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei were the most critical regions for water resources. Besides, Zhejiang and Guangdong have saved a large amount of water by importing water resources through agricultural trade. While, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Henan and Xinjiang are exporting a large amount of water resources. Moreover, the regions with developed economy and higher population are more dependent on agricultural imports. By identifying the critical node and pathway in virtual grey water trade, this paper aims to provide theoretical foundations for mitigating water pressure and reducing water pollution in economic trade activities.

Viewing the Sustainable Development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from Water Resources System

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an Asian water source and Chinese water tower. The area has a large amount of water resources and great potential for hydropower development. However, there are problems such as unreasonable use, retreat of glaciers and pollution of the water environment. Water is a precious resource. The sustainable development of water resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has significant ecological and strategic significance for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas. Therefore, this article will explore the status quo of water resources systems in the process of sustainable development in the Tibetan Plateau and provide some suggestions.

Water resources conservation and nitrogen pollution reduction under global food trade and agricultural intensification

Global food trade entails virtual flows of agricultural resources and pollution across countries. Here we performed a global-scale assessment of impacts of international food trade on blue water use, total water use, and nitrogen (N) inputs and on N losses in maize, rice, and wheat production. We simulated baseline conditions for the year 2000 and explored the impacts of an agricultural intensification scenario, in which low-input countries increase N and irrigation inputs to a greater extent than high-input countries. We combined a crop model with the Global Trade Analysis Project model. Results show that food exports generally occurred from regions with lower water and N use intensities, defined here as water and N uses in relation to crop yields, to regions with higher resources use intensities. Globally, food trade thus conserved a large amount of water resources and N applications, and also substantially reduced N losses. The trade-related conservation in blue water use reached 85km3y−1, accounting for more than half of total blue water use for producing the three crops. Food exported from the USA contributed the largest proportion of global water and N conservation as well as N loss reduction, but also led to substantial export-associated N losses in the country itself. Under the intensification scenario, the converging water and N use intensities across countries result in a more balanced world; crop trade will generally decrease, and global water resources conservation and N pollution reduction associated with the trade will reduce accordingly. The study provides useful information to understand the implications of agricultural intensification for international crop trade, crop water use and N pollution patterns in the world.