scholarly journals Integrated Surface-Groundwater Modelling of Nitrate Concentration in Mediterranean Rivers, the Júcar River Basin District, Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12835
Author(s):  
Diana Yaritza Dorado-Guerra ◽  
Javier Paredes-Arquiola ◽  
Miguel Ángel Pérez-Martín ◽  
Harold Tafur Hermann

High nutrient discharge from groundwater (GW) into surface water (SW) have multiple undesirable effects on river water quality. With the aim to estimate the impact of anthropic pressures and river–aquifer interactions on nitrate status in SW, this study integrates two hydrological simulation and water quality models. PATRICAL models SW–GW interactions and RREA models streamflow changes due to human activity. The models were applied to the Júcar River Basin District (RBD), where 33% of the aquifers have a concentration above 50 mg NO3−/L. As a result, there is a direct linear correlation between the nitrate concentration in rivers and aquifers (Júcar r2 = 0.9, and Turia r2 = 0.8), since in these Mediterranean basins, the main amount of river flows comes from groundwater discharge. The concentration of nitrates in rivers and GW tends to increase downstream of the district, where artificial surfaces and agriculture are concentrated. The total NO3− load to Júcar RBD rivers was estimated at 10,202 tN/year (239 kg/km2/year), from which 99% is generated by diffuse pollution, and 3378 tN/year (79 kg/km2/year) is discharged into the Mediterranean Sea. Changes in nitrate concentration in the RBD rivers are strongly related to the source of irrigation water, river–aquifer interactions, and flow regulation. The models used in this paper allow the identification of pollution sources, the forecasting of nitrate concentration in surface and groundwater, and the evaluation of the efficiency of measures to prevent water degradation, among other applications.

1974 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
M. B. Bayer

Abstract This paper describes a method of applying probabilistic DO (dissolved oxygen) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) standards in river basin water quality models. Maximum likelihood estimators for the DO and BOD concentrations variances for each reach are used to obtain a lower bound for BOD so that the probability of violating specified DO and BOD standards is less than Θ per cent in any reach. These boundary values for DO and BOD concentrations are incorporated into a nonlinear water quality optimization model for finding the minimum cost set of wastewater treatment plant efficiencies required to meet DO and BOD standards. The method also provides the minimum DO concentration and the maximum BOD concentration which may be expected to occur 1-Θ of the time for any reach.


2018 ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Viet Thang ◽  
Dao Nguyen Khoi ◽  
Ho Long Phi

In this study, we investigated the impact of climate change on streamflow and water quality (TSS, T-N, and T-P loads) in the upper Dong Nai River Basin using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model. The calibration and validation results indicated that the SWAT model is a reasonable tool for simulating streamflow and water quality for this basin. Based on the well-calibrated SWAT model, the responses of streamflow, sediment load, and nutrient load to climate change were simulated. Climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) were developed from five GCM simulations (CanESM2, CNRM-CM5, HadGEM2-AO, IPSL-CM5A-LR, and MPI-ESM-MR) using the delta change method. The results indicated that climate in the study area would become warmer and wetter in the future. Climate change leads to increases in streamflow, sediment load, T-N load, and T-P load. Besides that, the impacts of climate change would exacerbate serious problems related to water shortage in the dry season and soil erosion and degradation in the wet season. In addition, it is indicated that changes in sediment yield and nutrient load due to climate change are larger than the corresponding changes in streamflow.


2021 ◽  
Vol 261 ◽  
pp. 04023
Author(s):  
Xu He ◽  
Hou Siyan

The water quality of six important rivers in Haihe River Basin, including Yongding River, Luanhe River, North Canal, Daqing River, South Canal and Chaobai River, was evaluated. The influence of point source and non-point source on water quality was analyzed. The causes of water environmental pollution in the major rivers were preliminarily revealed. The results show that the water quality of Chaobai River is good, and the impact of point source and non-point source discharge on the water body is small. Other rivers are affected by different degrees of point source and non-point source pollution. Based on the analysis results, the engineering measures and management countermeasures for river regulation are put forward.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swades Pal ◽  
Indrajit Mandal

AbstractDwarka River basin (3882.71 km2) of Eastern India in the Chotonagpur Plateau and Gangetic Plain is highly affected by stone mining and crushing generated dust. In the middle catchment of this basin, there are 239 stone mines and 982 stone crushing units. These produce approximately 258120 tons of dust every year and this dust enters into the river and coats the leaves of plants. On the one hand, this is aggrading in the stream bed, increasing sediment load, decreasing water quality, specifically increasing total dissolved solid, pH, water colour, and it also degrades the vegetation quality. Vegetation quality is also degraded as indicated by decreasing of NDVI values (maximum NDVI in 1990 was 0.70 and in 2016 it was 0.48). Considering all these issues, the present paper intends to identify dust vulnerable zones based on six major driving parameters and the impact of the dust on river morphology, water quality and vegetation quality in different vulnerable zones. Weighted linear combination method (in Arc Gis environment) is used for compositing the selected parameters and deriving vulnerable zones. Weight to the each parameter is assigned based on analytic hierarchy process, a semi quantitative method. According to the results, 579.64 km2(14.93%) of the catchment area is very highly vulnerable: Here 581 rivers have a length of 713 km and these riversare prone to high dust deposition, increased sediment load and water quality deterioration.


Author(s):  
Peixuan Cheng ◽  
Fansheng Meng ◽  
Yeyao Wang ◽  
Lingsong Zhang ◽  
Qi Yang ◽  
...  

The relationships between land use patterns and water quality in trans-boundary watersheds remain elusive due to the heterogeneous natural environment. We assess the impact of land use patterns on water quality at different eco-functional regions in the Songhua River basin during two hydrological seasons in 2016. The partial least square regression indicated that agricultural activities associated with most water quality pollutants in the region with a relative higher runoff depth and lower altitude. Intensive grazing had negative impacts on water quality in plain areas with low runoff depth. Forest was related negatively with degraded water quality in mountainous high flow region. Patch density and edge density had major impacts on water quality contaminants especially in mountainous high flow region; Contagion was related with non-point source pollutants in mountainous normal flow region; landscape shape index was an effective indicator for anions in some eco-regions in high flow season; Shannon’s diversity index contributed to degraded water quality in each eco-region, indicating the variation of landscape heterogeneity influenced water quality regardless of natural environment. The results provide a regional based approach of identifying the impact of land use patterns on water quality in order to improve water pollution control and land use management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona-Annilow Wera ◽  
Teck-Yee Ling ◽  
Lee Nyanti ◽  
Siong-Fong Sim ◽  
Jongkar Grinang

Water quality downstream of a hydroelectric dam is potentially affected by dam operations and other land uses in the river basin. Previous short-distance studies below the large Bakun Dam indicated poorer water quality during closed spillway. However, the extent of the impact is still unknown. Such knowledge is essential for mitigating the impact of the dam. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the water quality up to a distance of 210 km under two spillway operations, namely, closed and opened spillways, and also to determine the changes in water quality from the predam condition. Physicochemical parameters were measured at 15 stations along the Rajang River. Results of this preliminary study indicated that there were significant differences in eight out of nine water quality parameters between opened and closed spillway operations with opened spillway showing better water quality. During closed spillway, as we approached the dam, there was an increasing acidity and a decreasing oxygen content. Furthermore, as the water flows downstream, the unhealthy DO level (<5 mg/L) extended up to 165 km and the linear model showed an increasing DO rate of 0.09 mg/L per km. With opened spillway, DO decreased exponentially from 9.74 mg/L towards the downstream direction to 7.67 mg/L. The increasing turbidity and TSS in the downstream direction indicate contributions from erosion due to other land uses. The river is polluted with organics as indicated by COD of Class IV or V with sources from the dam and the activities in the river basin. Compared to the predam condition, the regulated river is less turbid but warmer and higher in ammonia. Closed spillway led to lower DO and acidic water. However, opened spillway water pH and DO were similar to those in the predam condition. Thus, it is recommended that DO be consistently high enough for the health of sensitive aquatic organisms downstream.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh K. Gelda ◽  
Rajith Mukundan ◽  
Emmet M. Owens ◽  
John T. Abatzoglou

Abstract Climate model output is often downscaled to grids of moderately high spatial resolution (~4–6-km grid cells). Such projections have been used in numerous hydrological impact assessment studies at watershed scales. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to assess the impact of climate change on the hydrodynamics and water quality in lakes and reservoirs. A potential barrier to such assessments is the need for meteorological variables at subdaily time scales that are downscaled to in situ observations to which lake and reservoir water quality models have been calibrated and validated. In this study, we describe a generalizable procedure that utilizes gridded downscaled data; applies a secondary bias-correction procedure using equidistance quantile mapping to map projections to station-based observations; and implements temporal disaggregation models to generate point-scale hourly air and dewpoint temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation for use in water quality models. The proposed approach is demonstrated for six locations within New York State: four within watersheds of the New York City water supply system and two at nearby National Weather Service stations. Disaggregation models developed using observations reproduced hourly data well at all locations, with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency greater than 0.9 for air temperature and dewpoint, 0.4–0.6 for wind speed, and 0.7–0.9 for solar radiation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 688-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongrong Zhang ◽  
Zhongfa Zhou ◽  
Haotian Zhang ◽  
Yusheng Dan

Abstract In water pollution source research, it is difficult to quantify the impact of human activities on water quality. Based on pollution load theory and the concept of spatialization of social data, this study integrates land-use type, slope gradient, and spatial position, and uses the contribution of human activities to quantify the impact of farmland fertilizers, livestock and poultry wastes, and human domestic pollution on water quality in the study area. The results show that livestock manure is the largest source of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) discharges in the research area, and domestic pollution is the largest source of chemical oxygen demand (COD) discharges. The total equal standard pollution load (as well as the load of each pollution source and its pollutant amount) is the highest in the Nayong River Basin and the lowest in the Baishui River Basin. The contributions of human activities to TP and TN have similar spatial distributions. The impact of human activities on COD discharge is minimal. The quantitative results of this model are basically consistent with the actual conditions in the Pingzhai Reservoir Basin, which suggests that the model reasonably reflects the impact of human activities on the water environment of the basin.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Č Maksimović ◽  
C.K. Makropoulos

In order to effectively manage the wide variety of physical, chemical biological and ecological processes in a sensitive coastal environment such as the Black Sea, current environmental management objectives are no longer sufficient: a new management approach has to address the intimate functional linkage between the river basin and the costal environment. Current water quality legislation requires compliance to emission levels based on the chemical analysis of water samples taken at discharge points, such as treatment plants discharging into rivers. While such measures provide a relative indication of the water quality at the point of discharge, they fail to describe accurately and sufficiently the quality of the water received from the watershed or basin. As water flows through the catchment, rainfall run-off from urban and agricultural areas carries sediments, pesticides, and other chemicals into river systems, which lead to coastal waters. The impact of the Kosovo crisis on the Danube ecosystems provides a poignant example of the effects of such diffused pollution mechanisms and reveals a number of interesting pollution mechanisms. This paper discusses both the effects of diffused pollution on the Black Sea, drawing from state-of-the-art reports on the Danube, and proposes a framework for a decision support system based on distributed hydrological and pollution transport simulation models and GIS. The use of ecological health indicators and fuzzy inference supporting decisions on regional planning within this framework is also advocated. It is also argued that even the recently produced GEF document on Black Sea protection scenarios should benefit significantly if the concept of pollution reduction from both urban, industrial and rural areas should undergo a systematic conceptual update in the view of the recent recommendations of the UNEP IETC (2000) document.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vu Duy Vinh ◽  
Nguyen Minh Hai ◽  
Do Gia Khanh

The hydrodynamic and water quality models (the Delft3D model) were established based on the measured data and the estimated pollution discharges from Dinh Vu industrial zones to Nam Trieu estuary. With seven separate simulation scenarios, the results show that in case of increased wastewater with the control of pollution discharge (water and concentration), the impact of pollution is only limited to a small area around the discharge point. Their influences on water quality in other areas in Nam Trieu estuary are quite small. Meanwhile, in case of environmental risk, a strongly increasing pollution load would cause the significantly increasing pollutant concentration in this area, they have almost exceeded the value in the National Technical Regulation on surface water quality (QCVN 10-MT:2015/BTNMT), such as NH4, COD, and BOD. Dissolved oxygen in the water would also decrease significantly. The spatial influence extends from the discharge point to Nam Trieu estuary, inside Cam, Bach Dang rivers, and Cat Hai coastal area.


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