Pollutant Export Research Articles

New Modeling Framework for Describing the Pollutant Transport and Removal of Ditch‐Pond System in an Agricultural Catchment

AbstractDitch‐pond systems (DPSs) play a key role in hydrologic regulation and pollutant removal in agricultural regions, yet there is a lack of quantitative tools that describe their complex transport and removal processes across spatial scales. To fill this gap, a new modeling framework is proposed by implementing three improvements based on the typical watershed models: (a) the explicit rasterization of natural‐artificial drainage, (b) accurate spatial representations of ditches and ponds, and (c) the development of a pollutant‐removal module. This framework is exemplified for a DPS‐dominated catchment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China. The results revealed that 55.36% of the drainage areas in this catchment were dominated by ditch networks, highlighting the significant impacts of artificial factors. The results simulated by the new framework also indicated the great impacts of specific pond distributions on pollutant removal. In this context, pollutant exports in DPSs were distinctly lower than that in natural situation modeling, about 25.14%–46.65% of pollutants are removed by DPSs. On this basis, the scenario analysis also explored the critical placements of ponds and ditches to optimize pollutant removal and to enhance agricultural management in DPSs. This new framework is available for other real DPS‐dominated catchments with potential applications in typical model augmentations and improvements.

Recent ozone trends in the Chinese free troposphere: role of the local emission reductions and meteorology

Abstract. Free tropospheric ozone (O3) trends in the Central East China (CEC) and export regions are investigated for 2008–2017 using the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) O3 observations and the LMDZ-OR-INCA model simulations, including the most recent Chinese emission inventory. The observed and modelled trends in the CEC region are −0.07 ± 0.02 and −0.08 ± 0.02 DU yr−1, respectively, for the lower free troposphere (3–6 km column) and −0.05 ± 0.02 and −0.06 ± 0.02 DU yr−1, respectively, for the upper free troposphere (6–9 km column). The statistical p value is smaller to 0.01 for all the derived trends. A good agreement between the observations and the model is also observed in the region, including the Korean Peninsula and Japan and corresponding to the region of pollution export from China. Based on sensitivity studies conducted with the model, we evaluate, at 60 % and 52 %, the contribution of the Chinese anthropogenic emissions to the trend in the lower and upper free troposphere, respectively. The second main contribution to the trend is the meteorological variability (34 % and 50 %, respectively). These results suggest that the reduction in NOx anthropogenic emissions that has occurred since 2013 in China led to a decrease in ozone in the Chinese free troposphere, contrary to the increase in ozone at the surface. We designed some tests to compare the trends derived by the IASI observations and the model to independent measurements, such as the In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) or other satellite measurements (Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)/Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS)). These comparisons do not confirm the O3 decrease and stress the difficulty in analysing short-term trends using multiple data sets with various sampling and the risk of overinterpreting the results.

Simulating Water and Pollution Exports from Soil to Stream during the Thawing Period at the Small River Basin Scale

A physical model was developed to describe the soil-to-stream export processes of water and pollutants in a small river basin during the soil thawing period. The hydrological and pollution transport and transformation behaviors in paddy- and corn-dominated catchments were numerically simulated; the impacts of the pollution concentrations, interactions between the migrated water and pollutants in the soil, and pollutant transformations during the pollution export were coupled. Experimental field data from the Heidingzi river basin during the soil thawing period were used to calibrate the model parameters and evaluate the performance. The mass of the dissolved pollutants from soil particles in the migrated soil pore water was the key factor affecting the pollution export into the streams; the water content directly affected the pollution export. The concentration of the pollutants peaked when the initial exported water was high. The pollutant transport processes influenced the pollution export more significantly after the soil water was significantly reduced. The N-S efficiency coefficients between the simulated and monitored flow rates and the pollution concentrations at the outlets of the paddy- and corn-dominated catchments were >0.60 and >0.54, respectively. The system deviations between the simulated and monitored flow rates and the pollution concentrations were <10% and <15%, respectively. The proposed model effectively described the water flow, pollution transport and transformation processes.

A study of the effect of aerosols on surface ozone through meteorology feedbacks over China

Abstract. Interactions between aerosols and gases in the atmosphere have been the focus of an increasing number of studies in recent years. Here, we focus on aerosol effects on tropospheric ozone that involve meteorological feedbacks induced by aerosol–radiation interactions. Specifically, we study the effects that involve aerosol influences on the transport of gaseous pollutants and on atmospheric moisture, both of which can impact ozone chemistry. For this purpose, we use the UK Earth System Model (UKESM1), with which we performed sensitivity simulations including and excluding the aerosol direct radiative effect (ADE) on atmospheric chemistry, and focused our analysis on an area with a high aerosol presence, namely China. By comparing the simulations, we found that ADE reduced shortwave radiation by 11 % in China and consequently led to lower turbulent kinetic energy, weaker horizontal winds and a shallower boundary layer (with a maximum of 102.28 m reduction in north China). On the one hand, the suppressed boundary layer limited the export and diffusion of pollutants and increased the concentration of CO, SO2, NO, NO2, PM2.5 and PM10 in the aerosol-rich regions. The NO/NO2 ratio generally increased and led to more ozone depletion. On the other hand, the boundary layer top acted as a barrier that trapped moisture at lower altitudes and reduced the moisture at higher altitudes (the specific humidity was reduced by 1.69 % at 1493 m on average in China). Due to reduced water vapour, fewer clouds were formed and more sunlight reached the surface, so the photolytical production of ozone increased. Under the combined effect of the two meteorology feedback methods, the annual average ozone concentration in China declined by 2.01 ppb (6.2 %), which was found to bring the model into closer agreement with surface ozone measurements from different parts of China.

Dynamics of fluvial hydro-sedimentological, nutrient, particulate organic matter and effective particle size responses during the U.K. extreme wet winter of 2019–2020

The floc size distribution of suspended sediment is a critical driver for in-channel sedimentation and sediment-associated contaminant and nutrient transfer and fate in river catchments. Real-time, in situ, floc size characterisation is possible using available technology but, to date, limited high resolution floc data have been published for fluvial systems draining upland extensive grassland catchments. To that end, suspended sediment floc size distribution and turbidity were characterised at 15-minute intervals using Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometry (LISST) diffraction and a YSI turbidity sonde for six storm events in the upper River Taw (15 km2) catchment in SW England. Maximum event discharges (Q) ranged between 4.3 and 20.0 m3 s−1, with clockwise hysteretic responses (HI = 0.18–0.48) of total suspended solid concentrations (TSS) and Q. The sediment flushing index was highest in the early autumn (0.93) and storm event TSS fluxes varied from 0.04 to 2.9 t km−2. This suggests a change in sources or composition of sediment during higher Q and highly variable patterns of sediment flux from event-to-event. The proportion of particulate organic matter (POM) to TSS was highly variable (5–89%) and did not increase with Q, indicating POM source limitation. The fine-grained tail (D10 and D16) of the floc size distributions decreased during hydrograph rising limbs, with the finest floc sizes associated with the highest TN and TP concentrations at peak Q. The results suggest that dynamic interactions between wet ground and extreme rainfall events can flush significant amounts of sediment from the relatively undisturbed extensive grassland upland catchment. We strongly encourage a sensors-based approach to reveal the spatio-temporal complexity of floc size and associated pollutant export during high Q generated by extreme rainfall since this can help to elucidate processes and mechanisms and generate high-resolution data for water quality modelling without significant user intervention.

On the relationship between pollution reduction and export product quality: Evidence from Chinese firms

Chinese government adopted a new environmental program during “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period. Whether this program can achieve its goal of pollution reduction and quality improvement for exports is of vital importance for China's sustainable development. This paper constructs a quasi-difference-in-difference (DID) framework to identify the effects of the new environmental policy on export product quality by using highly disaggregated trade transaction data at the product level. Empirical results show that the implementation of pollution reduction targets is negatively correlated with export product quality. This negative impact is more profound in western regions, capital-intensive industries, privately owned firms and firms exporting to countries which are not members of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development group. In addition, our extended analysis shows that the negative effects can be mitigated through product switching within the firms. The major policy implication is that local governments should take proper measures to strengthen the effects of innovation offsets caused by environmental regulation and effectively utilize the induced effects of environmental regulation on product switching. The goal is to achieve a win-win outcome for environmental protection and improvement in export product quality.

Seasonal variations in characteristics, sources and diurnal patterns of carbonaceous and water-soluble constituents in urban aerosols from the east coast of tropical India

Environmental context The export of various man-made pollutants from northern India has a large impact on aerosol formation processes, their transformations and regional environmental chemistry over tropical peninsular India. The quantitative source apportionment of organic aerosols performed in this study provides a better understanding of their sources and implications for climate and air-quality management policies in South Asia. Abstract This study highlights seasonal characteristics, sources, daytime (sea-breeze) and night-time (land-breeze) variations of carbonaceous and water-soluble ionic components in PM10 (<10 µm particulate matter) aerosols from the east coast (Chennai city) of tropical India. Elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC) were found to be higher in winter when air masses were delivered from the northern part of India covered by the Indo-Gangetic-Plains whereas lower concentrations were observed during summer and monsoon associated with marine air masses. Sea salts (Na+ and Cl–), dust (Ca2+ and Mg2+) and nitrates (NO3–) were found to be highest in monsoon, suggesting these species may be co-transported over the sampling site with marine air masses. Using air mass back-trajectory analysis, linear relationships between chemical species and specific mass ratios, we demonstrate that east coast urban aerosols are strongly influenced by aged anthropogenic sources including biomass burning in winter and post monsoon while aged marine emissions mixed with local pollutants (dust and vehicular) are important in monsoon and summer. Further, the mesoscale phenomenon was reflected in measured chemical constituents during the study period. Positive-matrix-factorisation (PMF) analysis confirmed that OC aerosols are largely attributable to chemically aged anthropogenic (53 % in the day and 39 % in the night) and combustion-derived (17 % and 39 %) sources in winter and sea salts mixed with dust and vehicular emissions (61 % and 52 %) during monsoon. These important insights about the sources and formation processes of organic aerosols will help in understanding the formation of atmospheric brown clouds over south Asia.

Characteristics of runoff pollution in a highly urbanized region: A case study in the Dongguan City

Urban runoff pollution has become one of the major sources of water pollution. Rapid urbanization process in China has led to a significant increase in the pollution loads, which has posed great threats on the regional water environmental safety. Thus, it is of great importance to systematically analyse the characteristics of runoff pollution in some typical highly urbanized regions. Taking the Dongguan City in South China as the study area, output and spatial characteristics of the pollution emissions were investigated through a GIS-based empirical model. The results showed that the annual pollution loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) exported from the city were approximately 338489, 613175, 28292 and 2824 t/a, respectively. In particular, the Songshan Lake Area in the city had the largest pollution loads, while the Water Town New Area had the least. In terms of pollution export fluxes unit area, they were highest in the Central Downtown Area (i.e. 2124, 3450, 145 and 16 kg/hm2 a for COD, SS, TN and TP, respectively) and relatively lower in the Southeastern Bordering Shenzhen Area. Enhancing the environmental management and improving the public environmental protection awareness are necessary for mitigating runoff pollution.

Catchment scale assessment of river-water quality in an ungauged environment

This paper examines the application of coupled integrated model SWAT with emphasis on dynamic, physically-based modelling approaches that integrate the effects of different environmental processes across catchment scales in characterising and quantifying river water quality status. The plan is to address morphological and ecological impacts on streams and by extension, the creation of a link to correctly assess river water quality based on the attributes of the delineated catchment in ungauged and data-poor environments. The resultant pollutions are conditioned on the heterogeneity of the landscape features that control both hydrology and pollutant export coefficients which are variably distributed across catchment. The study area was delineated into five (5) landuse, land cover attributes: forest, cultivation, impervious, urbanisation and industrial within the following settlements, Ita-Iku, ABUAD farm, Ago-Aduloju, Igbemo, Ogbese-Ise and Ita-Ogbolu. A total of twenty-nine quality parameters were invesigated with the results indicating that the regions with with close proximity to emerging urbanisation and industrial development were most impacted. This serves as a policy guiding tool for water resource managers to incorporate different management scenarios in the surface water pollution abatement and control.Keywords: Water quality, catchment delineation, pollution abatement

Comparing Trace Elements (As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in Soils and Surface Waters among Montane, Upland Watersheds and Lowland, Urban Watersheds in New England, USA

Trace element biogeochemistry from soils to rivers is important for toxicity to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this study was to determine whether trace element exports in contrasting watersheds are controlled by their abundance in soil, current land uses in the watershed, or geologic processes. Upland soils and river water samples were collected throughout the Deerfield watershed in southern Vermont and western Massachusetts and in the Quinebaug and Shetucket watersheds of eastern Connecticut. Soil concentrations were only an important predictor for dissolved Fe export, but no other trace element. Soil pH was not correlated with normalized dissolved exports of trace elements, but DOC was correlated with normalized dissolved Pb and Ni exports. The limited spatial and depth of soil sampling may have contributed to the poor correlation. Surprisingly, linear regressions and principal component analysis showed that human development was associated with higher soil trace metal concentrations but not significantly correlated with dissolved trace elements export. Instead, forest abundance was a strong predictor for lower Cu, Pb, and Zn soil concentrations and lower As, Fe, Ni and Pb dissolved exports across the watersheds. Dissolved exports of Al, K, and Si suggest that enhanced mineral dissolution in the montane watersheds was likely an important factor for matching or exceeding normalized pollutant trace element exports in more urbanized watersheds. Further studies are needed to evaluate subsurface/hyporheic controls as well as soil–surface water interface to quantify exchange and transport.

Management optimization of nonpoint source pollution considering the risk of exceeding criteria under uncertainty

Management of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is highly important in watershed water environmental and ecological security. However, the many complexities and uncertainties that exist in the processes of export and management of NPS pollution exert substantial influences on the reliability of multiple management practices. This study developed an inexact multiobjective possibilistic mean-variance mixed-integer programming (IMPMMP) model for NPS pollution management through optimization of watershed land use pattern and livestock production structure. By coupling interval parameter programming, mixed-integer programming, multiobjective programming, and an export coefficient model within a general possibilistic mean-variance model framework, the IMPMMP model deals effectively with system uncertainties and complexities. Moreover, the risk of exceeding criteria (REC) in NPS pollution management systems can be considered. The proposed IMPMMP model was applied to a real-world case study in the Xinfengjiang Reservoir watershed in South China. Results showed that the preference of decision makers regarding land use adjustment plays a decisive role in determining model feasibility. The area provided for each land use type that could be adjusted has to reach a certain threshold to achieve the goals of reduced pollution load and REC control. The NPS pollution loads after optimization would be exported primarily from different land uses and the human population. Compared with NPS nitrogen pollution management, it is more difficult to reduce the NPS phosphorus load and to manage the corresponding REC through adjustment of the land use pattern and livestock production structure. Moreover, it is difficult to simultaneously reduce the NPS nitrogen and phosphorus pollution loads and REC in each subbasin. The model, which can provide policy makers with a series of schemes for optimization of land use pattern and livestock production structure, has satisfactory applicability and could be used for watershed NPS pollution management.

Pollutant Concentration Patterns of In-Stream Urban Stormwater Runoff

Although a number of studies have investigated pollutant transport patterns in urban watersheds, these studies have focused primarily on the upland landscape as the point of interest (i.e., prior to stormwater entering an open stream channel). However, it is likely that in-stream processes will influence pollutant transport when the system is viewed at a larger scale. One initial investigation that can be performed to characterize transport dynamics in urban runoff is determining a pollutant’s temporal distribution. By borrowing from urban stormwater literature, the propensity of a pollutant within a system to be more heavily transported in the initial portion of the storm can be quantified (i.e., the “first flush”). Although uncommon for use in stream science, this methodology allows direct comparison of results to previous studies on smaller urban upland catchments. Multiple methods have been proposed to investigate the first flush effect, two of which are applied in this study to two streams in Knoxville, TN, USA. The strength of the first flush was generally corroborated by the two unique methods, a new finding that allows a more robust determination of first flush presence for a given pollutant. Further, an “end flush” was observed and quantified for nutrients and microbes in one stream, a novel outcome that shows how the newer methodology that was employed can provide greater insight into transport processes and pollutant sources. Explanatory variables for changes in each pollutant’s inter-event first flush strength differed, but notable relationships included the influence of flow rate on microbes and influence of rainfall on Cu2+. The results appear to support the hypothesis that in-stream processes, such as resuspension, may influence pollutant transport in urban watersheds, pointing toward the need to consider in-stream processes in models developed to predict urban watershed pollutant export.

Evaluating the Diffuse Runoff from Urban Territories in the Volga Basin: Case Study of Rostov City

The study is focused on examining and simulating the formation processes of the runoff and pollution export in the case of Rostov (Rostov Velikii), a town in the Volga basin. The diffuse runoff from Rostov territory and its spatial distribution were evaluated for the following components: ammonium, total iron, oil products, sulfates, chlorides, suspended matter, as well as COD and BOD5. The main conclusions and recommendations are based on the authors’ experimental studies and simulation with the use of SWMM software complex (storm water management model), as well as long-term engineering studies of urban conditions in the case of underflooding under various projects.

Integral Application of Chemical Mass Balance and Watershed Model to Estimate Point and Nonpoint Source Pollutant Loads in Data-Scarce Little Akaki River, Ethiopia

The quality of Little Akaki River in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) is deteriorating significantly due to uncontrolled waste released from point and diffuse sources. In this study, pollution load from these sources was quantified by integrating chemical mass balance analysis (CMB) and the watershed model of pollution load (PLOAD) for chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solid, total nitrogen, nitrate, and phosphate. Water samples monitored bimonthly at 15 main channel monitoring stations and 11-point sources were used for estimation of pollutant load using FLUX32 software in which the flow from the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model calibration, measured instantaneous flow, and constituent concentration were used as input. The SWAT simulated the flow quite well with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.78 and 0.82 and Nash-Sutcliff (NSE) of 0.76 and 0.80 during calibration and validation, respectively. The uncharacterized nonpoint source load calculated by integrating CMB and PLOAD showed that the contribution of nonpoint source prevails at the middle and downstream segments of the river. Maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) load from uncharacterized nonpoint sources was calculated at the monitoring station located below the confluence of two rivers (near German Square). On the other hand, high organic pollution load, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) load, was calculated at a station upstream of Aba Samuel Lake, whereas annual maximum total dissolved solid (TDS), total nitrogen (TN), and phosphate load (PO4-P) from the nonpoint source in Little Akaki River (LAR) were found at a river section near Kality Bridge and maximum NOX load was calculated at station near German Square. The integration of the CMB and PLOAD model in this study revealed that the use of area-specific pollutant export coefficients would give relatively accurate results than the use of mean and median ECf values of each land use.

High nitrogen to phosphorus ratio in a Texas coastal river: origins and implications for nutrient pollution sources and exports

Inorganic forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, oxygen levels, suspended solids, and planktonic primary productivity were monitored in Guadalupe River, a major waterway in southeast Texas. Our measurements have shown elevated levels of inorganic nutrients, with soluble reactive phosphorus reaching into 30 μg/L. Curiously, those elevated levels of nutrients combined with unexpectedly high nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) ratio and low planktonic primary productivity. We attribute those phenomena to suspended solids acting as a selective sink for phosphorus while preventing effective photosynthesis in planktonic algae. At the same time, the potential for nitrogen removal is limited by abundant oxygen present in the water. This combination of low light, selective phosphorus removal, and high oxygen levels suggest that the Guadalupe River is likely to effectively export nitrogen, but not phosphorus into the estuary.

Variations in transport of suspended sediment and associated elements induced by rainfall and agricultural cycle in a Mediterranean agroforestry catchment

Soil erosion and fine particle exports are two of the major concerns of soil nutrient loss and water quality decrease nowadays. In Mediterranean mountainous environments, agricultural practices during different cropland stages likely increase sediment supplies and the export of fertilisers and pesticides out into the drainage system. In this study, we attempt to evaluate the soil response to different agricultural practices implemented during the agricultural cycle by monitoring the bare soil cropland area through the use of remote sensing and applying the sediment fingerprinting technique together with the newly consensus-based tracer selection method. To this purpose, 128 source samples were distributed over the four main land use/land covers and geomorphic elements existing in the study area. To analyse the spatio-temporal variability of source contributions, three sampling stations were established along the catchment and collected during two hydrological years. The consensus method was used to show the individual messages of each tracer, revealing non-conservative and dissenting tracers, followed by a discriminant function analysis (DFA) to select the best set of tracers for each mixture. Overall, the unmixing model outputs displayed channel bank and agriculture as the main contributing sources for all the seasonal campaigns. Nevertheless, the agricultural contribution was higher during the periods when the soil surface in croplands had no plant cover protection.Certain elements such as As, Co, Li, Mn, Zn and 238U were above source ranges in the sediment mixtures. The enriched elements showed higher content in the sediment mixtures during sowing and after harvest periods. Besides, an enrichment of phosphorous during both agricultural practices periods points out to agricultural activities as the main cause of sediment and elements export to streams. Thus, in the subcatchment with less bare soil cropland area, the agriculture source contributed with the lowest percentages. Our results support the protection of croplands, especially in periods of vegetation cover absence to prevent the loss of fertile soil and the export of potential pollutants to downstream water bodies.

Water quality management dilemma: Increased nutrient, carbon, and heavy metal exports from forestry-drained peatlands restored for use as wetland buffer areas

We restored small downstream sections of forestry-drained peatland catchments for use as wetland buffer areas and studied the effects of their restoration on the exports of nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved aluminium and iron. Even though the buffer areas were small relative to their catchment areas (0.5–3.5%), buffer restoration clearly increased pollutant exports. Thus, even though restored buffer areas proved later to be efficient in retaining pollutants from their upstream catchment area, turning from an initial restoration-induced pollutant source to their net sink may take a long time. In one restored buffer, the whole concept of restoration to improve water quality was judged questionable due to significantly deteriorated water quality. We presented a hypothesis that high iron content in peat may be a common denominator for the sites with high carbon and organic nutrient exports after restoration of forestry-drained peatlands. We conclude that it may not always be reasonable to restore drained peatlands for use as wetland buffers due to high initial pollution exports.

Understanding the Role of Organic Matter Cycling for the Spatio-Temporal Structure of PCBs in the North Sea

Using the North Sea as a case scenario, a combined three-dimensional hydrodynamic-biogeochemical-pollutant model was applied for simulating the seasonal variability of the distribution of hydrophobic chemical pollutants in a marine water body. The model was designed in a nested framework including a hydrodynamic block (Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HAMSOM)), a biogeochemical block (Oxygen Depletion Model (OxyDep)), and a pollutant-partitioning block (PolPar). Pollutants can be (1) transported via advection and turbulent diffusion, (2) get absorbed and released by a dynamic pool of particulate and dissolved organic matter, and (3) get degraded. Our model results indicate that the seasonality of biogeochemical processes, including production, sinking, and decay, favors the development of hot spots with particular high pollutant concentrations in intermediate waters of biologically highly active regions and seasons, and it potentially increases the exposure of feeding fish to these pollutants. In winter, however, thermal convection homogenizes the water column and destroys the vertical stratification of the pollutant. A significant fraction of the previously exported pollutants is then returned to the water surface and becomes available for exchange with the atmosphere, potentially turning the ocean into a secondary source for pollutants. Moreover, we could show that desorption from aging organic material in the upper aphotic zone is expected to retard pollutants transfer and burial into sediments; thus, it is considerably limiting the effectiveness of the biological pump for pollutant exports.

Function zoning and spatial management of small watersheds based on ecosystem disservice bundles

Exploring the environmental problems based on ecosystem disservices is critical to achieving spatially explicit reasonable management measures. In this study, we adopted the methods of ecosystem disservice bundles to realize the division of small watersheds, replacing the traditional criterion of river buffers and slope. Firstly, we analyzed the bundles of seven ecosystem disservices, including sediment export, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution export, surface runoff, quick flow, and risks of collapse and debris flow at six small watersheds in the northwest of Beijing, where the water environment requires urgent improvement. Each ecosystem disservice bundle represented a class of function zone division in space. Based on the relative size of ecosystem disservices in bundles, we identified the main environmental problems in each class of the function zones. Finally, the management spaces were allocated in the spatial dimension according to the environmental problems. The results showed that the surface runoff was the most common environmental problem in all function zones. Additionally, the main environmental problems of the ecological restoration zones were the natural disasters and the sediment export. The environmental problems of the ecological management zones varied among the seven categories of ecosystem disservice bundles and mainly included the sediment export, the nitrogen pollution export, the phosphorus pollution export, and the quick flow. There were seven classes of function zones belonging to the ecological protection zones, of which the environmental problems of water pollution and quick flow required the greatest focus. Overall, the three management measures consisted of enclosure protection, rain (sewage) collection, and runoff regulation could be adopted to solve the environmental problems in the study area. Adopting both of the theory and the method of ecosystem disservice bundles can promote the detection of environmental problems and the achievement of spatial layout of management measures as well as the improvement of multiple ecosystem services at a landscape.

Specific Features of the Formation of Water Flow and Pollution Export from Agricultural, Forest, and Urbanized Landscapes

The overland flow from different landscapes during flood season and its variations under the effect of agrotechnical activities and climate in the southern Russian Plain have been evaluated based on the analysis of data from water balance plots. The present-day overland flow in forest steppe and steppe regions has been shown to be several times less than that 50–70 years ago. At the same time, the infiltration runoff (perched-water and groundwater runoff) has increased. The structure of the present-day river runoff and the contribution of the overland flow, the runoff from a hydrographic network area, and the runoff of infiltration origin in individual natural zones to the formation of the river runoff have been determined. The export of biogens in the Volga and Don basins, including that in urbanized areas, has been calculated based on the analysis of water samples in different landscape zones. Such export from urbanized landscapes has been shown to contribute little to the total export of biogens in these basins. The volume of biogens of diffuse origin considerably exceeds that of biogens carried out by wastewater. However, this relationship may change for large rivers and reservoirs since river water carrying diffuse biogens mostly moves for a long time before it reaches the main river partially self-purified, whereas wastewater biogens mainly directly flow into large rivers.