Nonpoint Source Pollution Responses Simulation for Conversion Cropland to Forest in Mountains by SWAT in China |
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Authors: | Wei Ouyang Fang-Hua Hao Xue-lei Wang Hong-Guang Cheng |
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Institution: | (1) School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China;(2) International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enschede, Netherlands;(3) School of Geography, State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China |
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Abstract: | Several environmental protection policies have been implemented to prevent soil erosion and nonpoint source (NPS) pollutions
in China. After severe Yangtze River floods, the “conversion cropland to forest policy” (CCFP) was carried out throughout
China, especially in the middle and upper reaches of Yangtze River. The research area of the current study is located in Bazhong
City, Sichuan Province in Yangtze River watershed, where soil erosion and NPS pollution are serious concerns. Major NPS pollutants
include nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The objective of this study is to evaluate the long-term impact of implementation
of the CCFP on stream flow, sediment yields, and the main NPS pollutant loading at watershed level. The Soil and Water Assessment
Tool (SWAT) is a watershed environmental model and is applied here to simulate and quantify the impacts. Four scenarios are
constructed representing different patterns of conversion from cropland to forest under various conditions set by the CCFP.
Scenario A represented the baseline, i.e., the cropland and forest area conditions before the implementation of CCFP. Scenario
B represents the condition under which all hillside cropland with slope larger than 25° was converted into forest. In scenario
C and D, hillside cropland with slope larger than 15° and 7.5° was substituted by forest, respectively. Under the various
scenarios, the NPS pollution reduction due to CCFP implementation from 1996–2005 is estimated by SWAT. The results are presented
as percentage change of water flow, sediment, organic N, and organic P at watershed level. Furthermore, a regression analysis
is conducted between forest area ratio and ten years’ average NPS load estimations, which confirmed the benefits of implementing
CCFP in reducing nonpoint source pollution by increasing forest area in mountainous areas. The reduction of organic N and
organic P is significant (decrease 42.1% and 62.7%, respectively) at watershed level. In addition, this study also proves
that SWAT modeling approach can be used to estimate NPS pollutants’ impacts of land use conversions in large watershed. |
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Keywords: | Nonpoint source pollution Conversion of cropland to forest SWAT Simulation China |
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