Toward Explaining Nitrogen and Phosphorus Trends in Chesapeake Bay Tributaries, 1992–2012

Understanding trends in stream chemistry is critical to watershed management, and often complicated by multiple contaminant sources and landscape conditions changing over varying time scales. We adapted spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) to infer causes of recent nutrient trends in Chesapeake Bay tributaries by relating observed fluxes during 1992, 2002, and 2012 to contemporary inputs and watershed conditions. The annual flow‐normalized nitrogen flux to the bay from its watershed declined by 14% to 127,000 Mg (metric tons) between 1992 and 2012, due primarily (more than 80% of the decline) to reduced point sources. The remainder of the decline was due to reduced atmospheric deposition (13%) and urban nonpoint sources. Agricultural inputs, which contribute most nitrogen to the bay, changed little, although trends in the average nitrogen yield (flux per unit area) from cropland and pasture to streams in some settings suggest possible effects of evolving nutrient applications or other land management practices. Point sources of phosphorus to local streams declined by half between 1992 and 2012, while nonpoint inputs were relatively unchanged. Annual phosphorus delivery to the bay increased by 9% to 9,570 Mg between 1992 and 2012, however, due mainly to reduced retention in the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Reservoir.     

Impacts of a nutrient trading plan on stream water quality in Sugar Creek,Ohio

In the early 2000s, a phosphorus nutrient trading plan (NTP) requiring best management practices (BMPs) to be installed as pollution abatement strategies to offset phosphorus waste from the Alpine Cheese Company was implemented in four subwatersheds of Sugar Creek in northeast Ohio. To assess the impacts of the Alpine NTP, 49 sites were sampled approximately biweekly from 2010 to 2018 for phosphate, total phosphorus, nitrate, ammonia, and total nitrogen. In addition, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency conducted stream health surveys at 21 sites before and after the BMPs were implemented. This study evaluated the potential impact of 68 BMPs implemented under the NTP on the observed changes in nutrient concentrations and stream health indicators. Most nutrient concentrations observed during high discharge conditions showed significant declines from 2010 to 2018 for all subwatersheds, which was most likely due to BMPs that reduced erosion and surface runoff. However, there were fewer significant declines and some significant increases in nutrient levels during low discharge conditions, suggesting a possible contribution from legacy nutrient sources. Most sites reported increases in stream health indicators, but many streams are still below recommended levels. Collectively, the installation of BMPs and decreases in nutrient concentrations observed during high discharge conditions can be attributed to the NTP and likely contributed to improved stream health.     

River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool; a tool to screen options for reducing nutrient loads while minimizing cost

Excess loading of nitrogen and phosphorus to river networks causes environmental harm, but reducing loads from large river basins is difficult and expensive. We developed a new tool, the River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool (RBEROST) to identify the least-cost combinations of management practices that will reduce nutrient loading to target levels in downstream and mid-network waterbodies. We demonstrate the utility of the tool in a case study in the Upper Connecticut River Basin in New England, USA. The total project cost of optimized lowest-cost plans ranged from $18.0 million to $41.0 million per year over 15 years depending on user specifications. Plans include both point source and non-point source management practices, and most costs are associated with urban stormwater practices. Adding a 2% margin of safety to loading targets improved the estimated probability of success from 37.5% to 99%. The large spatial scale of RBEROST, and the consideration of both point and non-point source contributions of nutrients, make it well suited as an initial screening tool in watershed planning.     

库湾营养盐循环对三峡库区营养盐输运的影响:以草堂河为例

三峡水库蓄水后,库区众多支流下游形成库湾回水区,这些库湾回水区是库区水环境调整最为活跃的地区.为了探究支流库湾对于库区生源要素循环及物质通量的作用和意义,于2012年8月~2013年7月对草堂河库湾、相邻干流、支流上游水体中溶解态无机氮(DIN)、溶解态无机磷(DIP)、溶解态硅酸盐(DSi)的时空分布进行逐月现场观测.结果表明,草堂河库湾回水区营养盐的浓度与库区干流相近,二者的月变化趋势也高度一致.干流输入是库湾DIN、DIP、DSi的主要来源.草堂河库湾与干流连通性很好,干支流水体交换迅速且充分,其影响可到达库湾回水区的末端.春、夏季,干流输入的营养盐通过表层生产力在库湾截留,秋、冬季库湾中的营养盐释放并输送到干流.营养盐在库湾的这种循环过程,在一定程度上改变了库区干流不同季节营养盐输送的节律.库区支流库湾众多,其对干流物质通量的季节调配作用不容忽视.     

三峡入库河流大宁河回水区消落带土壤氨氮释放动力学研究

在室内模拟条件下,通过消落带土壤氨氮释放动力学实验,研究了三峡入库河流大宁河消落带土壤氨氮释放动力学特征,并分析了样品组成特征对释放动力学的影响,结果表明:(1)一级动力学方程可以很好的拟合大宁河回水区消落带土壤样品氨氮释放动力学特征,前120分钟为快反应,氨氮释放速度较大,随后进入慢反应,逐渐达到最大氨氮释放量;(2)土壤样品释放动力学特征与总氮、总磷呈现较好的相关性,与有机质、样品氧化物组成、颗粒组成理化指标相关性较弱;(3)土壤样品释放动力学特征与可转化态氮呈现极显著正相关关系,与非可转化态氮的相关性较弱,这说明样品中氨氮的释放量主要受其可转化态氮含量控制。研究结果可为三峡库区支流大宁河回水区富营养化治理提供参考和理论依据。     

三峡小江回水区蓝藻季节变化及其与主要环境因素的相互关系

三峡水库支流回水区富营养化和水华近年来备受关注.通过对库区小江流域回水区段蓝藻群落组成及丰度的监测研究发现,2007年5月~2008年5月小江回水区共鉴定出蓝藻15属,40种,其细胞密度均值为(23.50±10.30)×105cells.L-1,占藻类总密度的24.1%,生物量均值为(768.70±287.40)μg.L-1,占藻类总生物量的8.9%.蓝藻丰度季节变化明显,春末夏初为蓝藻的繁盛期,盛夏后蓝藻丰度逐渐下降,并在冬季达到全年最低水平.鱼腥藻、平裂藻、束丝藻、席藻、微囊藻是常见蓝藻,它们的细胞密度总和约占蓝藻细胞总密度的79.1%,生物量总和约占蓝藻总生物量的77.6%,是小江回水区蓝藻的优势种群.对蓝藻丰度和营养物、温度、透明度、真光层深度等环境因素的相关性分析发现,小江回水区蓝藻生长对无机态氮、磷的吸收利用显著,且蓝藻生长摄取硝态氮可能比利用氨氮更加明显.温度升高、水下光学透射性能下降有利于蓝藻细胞密度和生物量的增加.结合研究同期水文、气象条件的观测结果,发现在降雨、径流的作用下,水土流失严重的小江回水区氮、磷营养物同泥沙一起输入水体,为蓝藻生长提供丰厚的物质基础.受泥沙颗粒的影响,水体混浊度提高而真光层深度减少,蓝藻自身对低光照、高浊条件的敏感性及其悬浮生长机制促其能够在上层水体大量生长并形成优势.     

营养条件对微藻碳、氮稳定同位素组成的影响

以5种微藻(甲藻3种,硅藻、绿藻各1种)为试验材料,探讨了不同营养条件对微藻不同生长阶段碳氮稳定同位素组成的影响.结果表明,不同纲微藻的d13C值和d15N值在稳定生长期高于指数生长期,且与生长速率没有相关性(P>0.05).硅藻的d13C值低于甲藻和绿藻,绿藻和甲藻的d13C值比较相近;甲藻的d15N值低于硅藻和绿藻,绿藻和硅藻的d15N值比较相近,且同属甲藻纲的海洋原甲藻、塔玛亚历山大藻和强壮前沟藻的d15N值有较大的差异. 5种微藻在不同营养条件(营养盐充足、缺氮、缺磷)下培养,氮限制和磷限制导致微藻具有更正的d13C和d15N,磷限制的影响不明显,且弱于氮抑制.     

大辽河口N、P营养盐的分布特征及其影响因素

利用2003年9月在大辽河口水域进行水质调查获取的资料,分析了大辽河口N、P营养盐的分布和时间变化特征.结果表明,从感潮河段、口门至口外的海域,N、P营养盐的含量都呈逐渐降低的趋势.N营养盐保守性较好,其分布主要受海水和河水的混合产生的物理稀释的影响;相比之下,PO4-P由于其缓冲特征,保守性较差.根据调查区水体富营养化的评价结果,在辽河口口门附近海域和靠近辽东湾东岸的海域,水体呈富营养化和中等营养水平,在远离海岸的海域,水体呈贫营养状态.     

巢湖重污染汇流湾区沉积物营养盐分布与释放风险

南淝河、十五里河等多条入湖河道的向心型分布使巢湖西北部湖区形成汇流湖湾,了解该水域沉积物中营养盐累积分布及其释放风险,对评估污染状况具有重要意义. 于该研究湾区设置17个采样点,对沉积物营养盐含量及形态分布进行了调查分析,并使用静态释放方法对沉积物营养盐释放风险进行了研究. 结果表明:研究湾区表层沉积物中w(TN)和w(TP)分别为1 399.3~3 739.4和607.9~1 602.3 mg/kg,均远高于巢湖沉积物中w(TN)、w(TP)的平均值;w(NH₄+-N)占w(TN)的5.62%~17.60%,16个采样点的w(Al-P)占w(TP)的50%以上,由此导致沉积物中NH₄+-N和PO₄3--P释放通量较大,分别达到14.27~128.24和0.07~13.00 mg/(m2·d),并且在各河口区域释放风险相对高于湾区其他区域;氮、磷含量垂向分析显示,营养盐污染累积始于20世纪50年代(沉积物深度为24 cm),自80年代到90年代后期营养盐积累速率急速加剧. 沉积物中高含量的氮、磷营养盐及NH₄+-N和PO₄3--P释放通量导致该研究湾区沉积物成为巢湖水体的潜在污染源,因此亟需进行以各河口区域为重点的营养盐污染整治.