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. 2018 Jan 9;15(1):99.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15010099.

Spatial and Seasonal Dynamics of Water Environmental Capacity in Mountainous Rivers of the Southeastern Coast, China

Qiankun Liu  1 , Jingang Jiang  2 , Changwei Jing  3 , Jiaguo Qi  4
Affiliations

Spatial and Seasonal Dynamics of Water Environmental Capacity in Mountainous Rivers of the Southeastern Coast, China

Qiankun Liu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The south-east littoral is one of the most populous and developed regions in China suffering from serious water pollution problems, and the Xian-Jiang Basin in the mid of this region is among the most polluted watersheds. Critical information is needed but lacking for improved pollution control and water quality assessment, among which water environmental capacity (WEC) is the most important variable but is difficult to calculate. In this study, a one-dimensional water quality model combined with a matrix calculation algorithm was first developed and calibrated with in-situ observations in the Xian-Jiang basin. Then, the model was applied to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of WEC of the entire basin. The results indicated that, in 2015, the total pollutant discharges into the river reached 6719.68 t/yr, 488.12 t/yr, and 128.57 t/yr for COD, NH₃-N and TP, respectively. The spatial pattern suggested a strong correlation between these water contaminants and industrial enterprises, residential areas, and land-use types in the basin. Furthermore, it was noticed that there was a significant seasonal pattern in WEC that the dry season pollution is much greater than that in the plum season, while that in the typhoon season appears to be the weakest among all seasons. The WEC differed significantly among the 24 sub-basins during the dry season but varied to a smaller extent in other seasons, suggesting differential complex spatial-temporal dependency of the WEC.

Keywords: WEC spatial and seasonal patterns; one-dimensional WEC model; pollution load distribution; water environmental capacity; water quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The geographic distribution of rivers and pollution sources situates in Xian-Jiang Basin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The 2001–2015 monthly mean precipitation in the Xian-Jiang Basin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The correlation between rainfall and runoff: (a) Monthly change of rainfall and runoff during the last fifteen years; (b) Fitted equation of precipitation and runoff y = 0.005864x1.301, R2 = 0.874.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The land use and land cover of Xian-Jiang basin in 2015.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sub-basin units and system elements number in the Xian-Jiang watershed.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic of conceptual model of one-dimensional steady-state river.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The space–time distribution of COD water quality standard for the Xian-Jiang Basin: (a) concentrations in the dry season; (b) concentrations in the plum rain season; and (c) concentrations in the typhoon season.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The space–time distribution of NH3-N water quality standard for the Xian-Jiang Basin: (a) concentrations in the dry season; (b) concentrations in the plum rain season; and (c) concentrations in the typhoon season.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The space–time distribution of TP water quality standard for the Xian-Jiang Basin: (a) concentrations in the dry season; (b) concentrations in the plum rain season; and (c) concentrations in the typhoon season.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Difference in reduced WEC of pollutants among the three groups of seasons a: (a) the reduced group of COD; (b) the reduced group of NH3-N; and (c) the reduced group of TP. a The figure shows the significant difference in reduced WEC among three groups of seasons with the Mann–Whitney U test. The top and bottom of each box represent the first and third quartiles with the median as a horizontal line inside. Whiskers are drawn as the 10th or 90th percentiles of the distribution; b Significant difference between hydrological seasons (p < 0.001 by the Mann–Whitney U test); c The unit of reduced WEC of COD in dry season: 102 t/a.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The spatial pattern of hot spots (the areas with the top three WEC reductions) and safety areas (the areas with no need to cut) of the Xian-Jiang sub-basins: (a) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for COD ; (b) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for NH3-N; and (c) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for TP.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The spatial pattern of hot spots (the areas with the top three WEC reductions) and safety areas (the areas with no need to cut) of the Xian-Jiang sub-basins: (a) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for COD ; (b) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for NH3-N; and (c) the spatial pattern of cutting areas for TP.
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