Wetland Water Quality Research Articles

Evaluation of water quality and potential metal contamination in ecologically important Bhindawas bird sanctuary, India

Considering the environmental, agricultural, and ecological significance of Bhindawas wetland, the present study is the first comprehensive investigation to assess the water quality, determine the suitability of water for aquatic life in the wetland; and its suitability for irrigation in areas around the wetland. Twenty samples of water from Bhindawas wetland were analyzed and spatial variations of dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved phosphate, nitrate, and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) were observed. The concentration of DO was higher in areas with shallow depth and rich growth of submerged vegetation compared to deeper areas with no vegetation. Spatial variations of phosphate, nitrate, and heavy metals correlated with nesting zone of birds, runoff from agricultural fields, and wastewater from adjoining villages, respectively. Values of heavy metal pollution index (HPI), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), and degree of contamination (Cd) in water confirmed high level of metal contamination of the medium. Based on the water quality index (WQI), the water was unsuitable for aquatic life and use in agricultural utilization. It can be concluded that water quality of Bhindawas wetland was adversely affected by heavy metals, which is a cause of concern since this wetland is a temporary resort of migratory birds. Immediate intervention is required to improve the water quality, especially scrutiny and inspection of the added wastewater from surrounding villages, and runoff from adjoining agricultural fields.

Diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality of the High Andean wetlands of Chalhuanca, Arequipa-Peru

Diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality of the High Andean wetlands of Chalhuanca, Arequipa-Peru

Bioconcentration of glyphosate in wetland biofilms

Wetland biofilms were exposed to the herbicide glyphosate via in situ field exposures and controlled microcosm experiments to measure bioconcentration and metabolism of glyphosate by biofilm organisms. Concentrations of glyphosate in biofilms were two to four orders of magnitude higher than the surrounding water, bioconcentration factors averaged 835 and 199 L·kg−1 in field- and lab-exposed biofilms, respectively. Glyphosate in water where it had been detected in biofilms at field-exposed sites ranged from below detection (<1 μg·L−1) up to 130 μg·L−1. Bioconcentration of glyphosate in biofilms was inversely proportional to concentrations in the surrounding water, and the retention kinetics were similar to both adsorption and enzymatic models. Microorganisms present in both the water and biofilms metabolized glyphosate to its primary breakdown product aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA), with increased rates of breakdown in and around the biofilms. Photosynthetic efficiency of the algae within the biofilms was not affected by 24 h controlled glyphosate exposures. Our results demonstrate the role of biofilms in improving wetland water quality by removing contaminants like glyphosate, but also as a potential exposure route to higher trophic levels via consumption. Due to bioconcentration of pesticides, exposure risk to organisms consuming or living in biofilms may be much higher than indicated by concentrations in ambient water samples.

Urbanization has changed the distribution pattern of zooplankton species diversity and the structure of functional groups

Urbanization has brought devastating disasters to the species diversity of urban wetlands. However, due to the complexity of the urban environment, the process and causes of urban biodiversity distribution patterns are not clear. In this study, we explored the patterns and formation of spatial differentiation in zooplankton in the context of urbanization by using spatial instead of temporal methods to reveal the urbanization process in the urban intensive Huaihe River Basin. The results showed that the diversity of zooplankton decreased with increasing urbanization level, and the species composition in areas with different urbanization levels was significantly different. At the same time, the water quality of wetlands increased with decreasing urbanization level, which exhibited a significant positive correlation with the species richness of zooplankton. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) were the main factors affecting the spatial differentiation pattern of zooplankton. Moreover, the increase in nutrients changed the structure of zooplankton functional groups, while rotifers showed strong resistance to pollution. The inhibition of chromium (Cr) on the density of zooplankton functional groups should not be ignored. The results reveal the spatial differentiation mechanism of zooplankton in the process of urbanization and emphasize the necessity of urban wetland ecological restoration and habitat reconstruction.

Simulation of Water Quality Response of Guishui River Wetland Plants and Water Diversion

A two-dimensional model MIKE21 coupled with a modified EcoLab module was applied to model the water quality of surface flow wetlands. In the model, vegetation effects, oxygen production, nutrient consumption by microorganisms and vegetation were set in the solutions of hydrodynamic, chemical, and biological processes. Based on the field investigation and measurements in the Guishui River wetland, the model was established for the downstream reaches of the Guishui River and the Sanli River. The model calculated the hydrodynamics and water quality changes by vegetation type and distribution. The model parameters were calibrated and results were validated using the measurements. The concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, phosphate, and total nitrogen at outflow decreased by 14.29%, 33.33%, and 20.00% in the presence of wetland vegetation compared to no wetland vegetation. During water circulation, the flow rate increased by 0.4 m3 ·s-1 at the inlet of Guishui and Sanli rivers, increasing the water level and velocity in some parts of the rivers. The water areas with vegetation in Sanli and Guishui rivers increased by 144.44% and 13.16%, respectively. The concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, phosphate, and total nitrogen at outflow decreased by 35.71%, 50.00%, and 46.67% compared to no wetlands and no circulation. The circulation strengthened the wetland purification function. The wetland vegetation distribution was organically integrated into the model for water quality calculation, which provides the technical support for the water quality response research under comprehensive measures such as river and lake wetland ecological restoration and water conservancy regulation.

Assessment of water quality of Holy Kali Bein rivulet (Punjab) India, using multivariate statistical analysis

ABSTRACT Classification of water quality is a valuable method for reporting quality status of a water body that can help to control pollution in monitored sites. In this study water quality of rivulet Holy Kali Bein in the state of Punjab, India was analysed by using water quality index (WQI) and multivariate statistical analysis on the bases of measured water quality parameters from five sampling sites (K1-K5) during the period 2017–2018. Discriminant analysis (DA) and WQI were applied to examine spatiotemporal changes and to spot possible pollution sources. These changes in water quality parameters were analysed by using stepwise DA method. The first spatial discriminate function (DF1) accounted for 96.9%, second discriminate function (DF2) accounted 2.1%, DF3 accounted for 0.8% and DF4 accounted only 0.2% of the total spatial variance. Similarly, the first temporal DF1 accounted for 80.1% and DF2 accounted for 19.9% of total temporal variance. The water quality index (WQI) score showed good water quality at sites K1 (30.67), K2 (43.98) and K3 (51.25). The sites K4 (64.50) and K5 (62.89) showed poor water quality status. The present investigation represents the first of its type undertaken on the rivulet Holy Kali Bein and shows that the water quality of the rivulet is good at origin and when we move towards its confluence point at Harike wetland (Ramsar site) water quality becomes poor due to input of municipal wastes and agricultural activities discharge at the bank of the rivulet. This observation is supported by the calculated WQI for different sites. The work is original in nature based on the primary data collected by the authors personally.

Bird Diversity in Relation of Water Quality in Patela Pond and Surrounding Wetland

Bird Diversity in Relation of Water Quality in Patela Pond and Surrounding Wetland

Restoring tropical coastal wetland water quality: ecosystem service provisioning by a native freshwater bivalve

Freshwater bivalves can influence water quality by reducing phytoplankton levels through filter-feeding and altering nutrient levels through excretion and biodeposition. In northeast Australia, native freshwater bivalves (Corbicula australis) may help restore the water quality of coastal wetlands that receive high nutrient loads in runoff from nearby agricultural activity. We investigated the biofiltration and biodeposition capacity of C. australis and discuss their potential to provide an ecosystem service benefit of improved water quality to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The filtration and biodeposition rates of C. australis were measured in natural and artificial wetlands across: (1) the population’s size range; and (2) the temperature range of the wetlands they inhabit. High frequency water temperature loggers were deployed in wetlands throughout the year to determine water column temperature seasonality, population densities were measured to scale from individuals to ecosystem service provisioning potential. Bivalve filtration and biodeposition were quantified by measuring the rates of chlorophyll a removal and nutrient biodeposition, respectively. Biofiltration rates did not increase with size or differ between natural and artificial wetlands. In contrast, size was positively related to phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) biodepsoition rates, and N biodeposition rates differed between natural and artificial wetlands. Our results also suggest that biofiltration and biodeposition capacity of C. australis may be limited in high water temperatures only experienced in summer months. Overall, we demonstrate the importance of size, population density, and environmental context (i.e. wetland type and season) for the filtering capacity and biodeposition rate of C. australis. Larger individuals and denser populations mean that filtration and biodeposition rates are likely to be higher in artificial wetlands and may lead to greater processing of nutrient rich water.

Application of soft computing to predict water quality in wetland.

Prediction of water quality is a critical issue because of its significant impact on human and ecosystem health. This research aims to predict water quality index (WQI) for the free surface wetland using three soft computing techniques namely, adaptive neuro-fuzzy system (ANFIS), artificial neural networks (ANNs), and group method of data handling (GMDH). Seventeen wetland points for a period of 14months were considered for monitoring water quality parameters including conductivity, suspended solid (SS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pH, phosphate nitrite, and nitrate. The sensitivity analysis performed by ANFIS indicates that the significant parameters to predict WQI are pH, COD, AN, and SS. The results indicated that ANFIS with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE= 0.9634) and mean absolute error (MAE = 0.0219) has better performance to predict the WQI comparing with ANNs (NSE = 0.9617 and MAE = 0.0222) and GMDH (NSE = 0.9594 and MAE = 0.0245) models. However, ANNs provided a comparable prediction and the GMDH can be considered as a technique with an acceptable prediction for practical purposes. The findings of this study could be used as an effective reference for policy makers in the field of water resource management. Decreasing variables, reduction of running time, and high speed of these approaches are the most important reasons to employ them in any aquatic environment worldwide.

Assessment of the probable impacts of land use changes on water quality in shadeghan wetland using remotely sensed data

assessment of the probable impacts of land use changes on water quality in shadeghan wetland using remotely sensed data

Numerical simulation of wetland hydrodynamics and water quality

This study focuses on modeling water quality in mangroves areas including the effects of wetting and drying processes on the biogeochemistry of the mangrove. To achieve it, we use a shallow water hydrodynamics model capable of predicting both water quality and wetting and drying, which uses a rough-porous layer approach based on the water level. To evaluate the capabilities of the model, we consider an estuary region in Brazil to evaluate the model’s capabilities. The simulations carried out show the hydrodynamic behaviors and effects related to the water quality parameters in a complex tidal system comprised of extensive mangrove flats.

Human health risk assessment of heavy metals from surface water of Chott Merouane, Algeria

ABSTRACTToday, human health risk caused from exposure to heavy metals in water is a great international concern. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the content of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) in surface water (24 samples) of Chott Merouane and to estimate the potential health risks of metals to humans. The concentrations (mg/L) of metals ranged between 0.05 and 0.89 for Cd, bDL (below detection limit) – 2.05 for Cr, 0.03–0.27 for Cu, 0.4–7.4 for Fe, 0.15–1.19 for Mn, 0.27–4.53 for Ni, 0.23–5.87 for Pb, 0.01–0.28 for Zn. Both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks via oral and dermal absorption pathways were evaluated from two exposure scenario (Residential and Industrial scenario). For the first scenario, the Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard index (HI) for both the children and the adult via oral pathway were less than one, whereas HI for children was greater than one (1.36) indicating an unacceptable risk of non-carcinogenic effects on child health. Carcinogenic Risk (CR) was found within the USEPA’s acceptable cancer risk range of 10−6–10−4. For the industrial exposure, the HItotal at S1, S2 and S7 were slightly higher than the acceptable guideline (1.47, 1.98 and 1.11, respectively). Also, the CRtotal of Cr at these stations was slightly higher than the acceptable cancer risk range (1.8E-04, 1.6E-04 and 1.7E-04, respectively). Both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were mainly attributed to the oral pathway. The findings of this study indicating minor adverse health risk but suggest necessary conservation and management measures should be taken to improve the water quality of this Ramsar wetland.

Study of speciation and spatial variation of pollutants in Anzali Wetland (Iran) using linear regression, Kriging and multivariate analysis.

Multivariate statistical techniques and geostatistical methods are among the important tools used in surface water quality management. They are widely used in interpreting data, identifying the pollution sources, understanding the spatial variation of parameters, and determining the places of monitoring stations. Therefore, in this study, spatial variation of water quality and pollutants in the Anzali Wetland water (Iran) was evaluated using multivariate statistical and Kriging methods. The values of different water quality parameters measured in six stations in the wetland water were subjected to cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Cluster analysis reduced the number of stations from six to four. The results of PCA showed that industrial and agricultural pollution sources could be responsible for the Anzali Wetland water quality. Then, the spatial variation maps of the PCA scores were generated using Kriging geostatistical method in the geographical information system (GIS) to investigate the pollution sources affecting the wetland parts. These maps illustrated that a great part of the wetland body was under the effect of agricultural sources, while the industrial sources affected the outlet and central parts. Finally, a comparison between two models (multiple linear regression (MLR) and Kriging) was made to assess their ability in predicting water quality parameters in the study area. The results showed the improvement of prediction using MLR, which was by 25%-97%, compared with Kriging. The results of the present study can be effectively used in the planning and implementation of future monitoring networks in the Anzali Wetland and other similar aquatic systems.

Remote sensing and GIS based analysis of temporal land use/land cover and water quality changes in Harike wetland ecosystem, Punjab, India

Wetlands help in maintaining ecological balance in an area, but are shrinking fast all over the world. A study was conducted on the Harike wetland in Punjab state of India to analyze temporal changes in land use/land cover (LULC), water spread area and water pollution by using RS and GIS techniques. The LULC map of Harike wetland ecosystem covering an area of 22213.91 ha was prepared through on-screen visual interpretation of multispectral Resourcesat 2 LISS-IV satellite data (2014 and 2018) having spatial resolution of 5.8 m. Area under agriculture, forest and built up increased and that under waste land, water bodies and wetland decreased during 2014–18. The rate of increase in agricultural land was quite high (18.87 ha/year) during 2006–2014, but reduced to 3.53 ha/year during 2014–2018. The built up land increased comparatively at low rates (0.87 and 0.90 ha/year). Areas under waste land, water bodies and wetland decreased at the rate of 4.32, 1.61 and 13.80 ha/year during 2006–2014 and 2.37, 0.34 and 1.71 ha/year during 2014–2018, respectively. The water spread area of Harike wetland which was 4073 ha and 4166 ha in year 2002 and 2006 reduced to 3918.98 ha and 3910.56 ha in the year 2014 and 2018, respectively. However, wetland ponded area shrinked at a rate of 30.37 ha/year during 2006–2014 and 2.11 ha/year during the period 2014–2018. The area under low and medium turbidity increased by 22.02% and 15.2%, respectively, but decreased by 49% under high turbidity during 2014–18. Wetland water was observed to be rich in macro and micronutrients. The pH, BOD and COD of wetland water increased by 0.51, 9.7 mg/l and 24 mg/l, respectively, during 2002–14 and by 0.03, 2.0 mg/l and 5.92 mg/l, respectively during 2014–18. Interaction between land use, water quality, water inflow, ground water and wetland area has also been studied. Intensive cultivation and declining groundwater levels in the area are negatively affecting the wetland. This necessitates regular monitoring of wetland structural components and water quality along with an urgent plan in place for conservation, rehabilitation and management of Harike wetland ecosystem in participatory mode.

Study on effect of seasonal variations on water quality of Shallabugh wetland

The present study was aimed to determine the seasonal physical and chemical nature of water at three different sites of Shallabugh wetland, Kashmir Himalaya. Different parameters viz. water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total dissolved solids (TDS) were assessed during the study period from February 2018 to November 2018. The data reveals that water temperature ranged from 5.98 to 25.88 0C, COD (40.62 to 74.77 mg/L), BOD (16.06 to 38.28 mg/L) with higher value in summer and lower in winter. On the other hand value of DO (2.41 to 11.56 mg/L) and TDS (155.0 to 324.5 mg/L) where recorded maximum in winter compared to summer. The trend of temperature, BOD, COD and TDS at different sites in all the four seasons were observed in the following descending order: Site-II>Site-III>Site-I whereas DO showed reverse trend. Site-II has been observed to be more affected by the pollution sources, experiencing high pollution load compared to Site-I and Site-III due to due to anthropogenic activities such as domestic waste water and other waste material entering into the wetland through an inlet channel near site-II. The correlation among water parameters showed both significant positive and negative trends.

Plant diversity effect on water quality in wetlands: a meta-analysis based on experimental systems.

The ecological literature reports little empirical evidence from biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments in wetland systems, even though wetlands are widely known for their water filtering capacity. Experiments comparing the effect of plant monocultures and mixtures on water quality to improve pollutant removal efficiency in treatment wetlands share the characteristics of classical BEF experiments, and so could provide insights for wetland management. To add to our understanding of BEF relationships in wetlands, we evaluated plant diversity effects on water purification through a meta-analysis of freshwater experimental wetlands comparing monocultures to mixtures. We found 28 studies that matched our criteria for BEF analysis, for a total of 561 diversity effects on pollutant removal. Overall, the meta-analysis shows no significant effect of plant richness on removal of total suspended solids, but a positive effect on chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen removal, and a marginal effect on phosphorus removal. Thus, the results of this meta-analysis are consistent with reports of an overall positive biodiversity effect on ecosystem properties. An analysis of moderator variables shows that the experimental context (size of the experimental units, nutrient load, duration of the experiment) does not explain much of the residual variance. For pollutants that benefit from a positive plant richness effects on removal, mixtures do not perform better than the best monoculture. We found no evidence that plant richness effects are due to functional complementarity among species rather than to the presence of particularly efficient species. Complementarity effects may be less prevalent in highly productive, nutrient-rich wetlands, compared to nutrient-limited environments such as natural grasslands. Although findings must be confirmed by long-term field experiments under natural conditions, result from experimental wetland systems may contribute to a better understanding of biodiversity effect on ecosystem functions in wetlands, in addition to guide practices in natural wetland restoration and the use of constructed wetlands for water treatment.

Comprehensive environmental monitoring and assessment of protected wetland and lake water quality in Croatia and Serbia.

The irresponsible and uncontrolled use of water bodies for long period of time leads to pollution and water quality degradation, particularly in sensitive protected terrestrial and aquatic areas as lakes and wetlands situated in the vicinity of human habitations. Vulnerable ecosystems, the Lake Zobnatica, Serbia and the Wetlands of Tompojevci, Croatia, are characterized as protected natural areas and are surrounded by agricultural land and developed anthropogenic activities. In the samples of surface, ground water and agricultural runoff the key physicochemical parameters were determined. The results of analysed water characterized the Lake water quality class as IV-V. The measured parameters for the Lake show the high values of nutrients, particularly in ground water and agricultural runoff, pH value higher than 8.5 and lower values of dissolved oxygen (DO) than 5mg/L in the most of the examined water samples. According to the results and maximal allowable values Wetlands belong to the class V water quality, with high trophic state and poor eco-status according to Croatian and Serbian national Laws and By-Laws. The pH value higher than 8.5 of ground water in Wetlands of Tompojevci signifies alkaline groundwater. The maximum concentrations of orthophosphates in ground water and agricultural runoff (10.875 and 10.886mg/L, respectively) imply the high level of agricultural pollution. Research study of water samples has been performed from 2017 to 2019 within the Interreg IPA CBC Croatia-Serbia Project AF_HR-RS135_SeNs_Wetlands. This type of parallel and comparative research in Serbia and Croatia was conducted for the first time.

Evaluation of Water Quality and Heavy Metals in Wetlands along the Yellow River in Henan Province

Assessing spatiotemporal variation in water quality and heavy metals concentrations in wetlands and identifying metal contamination source are crucial steps for the protection and sustainable utilization of water resources. Using the water quality identification index (Iwq), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA), we evaluated spatiotemporal variation in water quality and heavy metals concentrations, and their interrelation in wetlands along the middle and lower Yellow River. The average Iwq was highest during flood season but the average HPI was lowest in the same season. Meanwhile, the trend in mean HPI across three hydrological seasons was the opposite to that of mean Iwq. There was significant variation in wetlands water pollution status across seasons. During the flood season, the wetlands in the affected area with hanging river were seriously polluted. In other seasons, pollution in the artificial wetlands was even more severe. Moreover, serious pollution of wetlands in belt transect #03 (Yuanyang-Zhongmu) was more frequent. Dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand strongly influenced heavy metal concentrations, while other water quality parameters had different influences on heavy metal concentrations in different hydrological seasons. The causes of water pollution were divided into natural factors and human disturbance (with potential relationships between them). The polluted wetlands were greatly affected by the Yellow River during the flood season while they were more impacted by agricultural and domestic sewage discharge in other seasons. However, heavy metal deposition and leaching into riparian wetlands were still affected by diverse channel conditions. If this trend is allowed to continue unabated, wetlands along the middle and lower Yellow River are likely to lose their vital ecological and social functions.

Effects of the watershed on the seasonal variation of the surface water quality of a post-restoration coastal wetland: The case of the Nador lagoon (Mediterranean sea, Morocco)

The Nador lagoon is a coastal wetland which is subject to both the watershed pressures and land runoffs coming from domestic, agricultural, industrial and mining pollution. In 2017, 19 stations encompassing the entire lagoon and pollution sources, including 13 at the lagoon level and 6 at the watershed level, were sampled during wet and dry seasons. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses were used to assess its environmental status through physio-chemical, nutrients and trace metals parameters. The results show that seasonal variations significantly affected the concentrations of Fe, Cu, Cr, and Cd in the lagoon. The highest mean concentrations were recorded for Mn, Zn, Cr and Pb during the wet season and for Fe, Cu, Ni and Cd during the dry season. The average concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn and Mn in the lagoon were lower than the USEPA 2016 standards on saltwater aquatic life preservation while the average concentrations of Ni and Cu are higher. In order to preserve this wetland, the implementation of an environmental management plan is required focusing on the rehabilitation of the iron mining area, the extension of the sewerage network, the control of agricultural effluents and the upgrading of industrial pollution controls.

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Storage of Baiyangdian Wetland influences and Threats on the ecology factors

Baiyangdian is the north China plain, the largest and most typical freshwater lake wetland, has important effects on the ecological environment in north China, called the kidney of north China, therefore, strict protection of Baiyangdian wetland is of great practical significance. This Baiyangdian wetland’s study aims to understand the different ecological communities and wetland ecological health assessment in wetland system, and to analyze and study the water quality and biodiversity of Baiyangdian wetland. Then through analyses of nitrogen and phosphorus storage, advantages and disadvantages of Baiyangdian among the wetland are clarified. Finally, based on the successful experience of some other wetland, some suggestions on the future development of wetland are put forward for Baiyangdian .