Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology

Abstract Riverine nitrogen export (RNE) and riverine phosphorus export (RPE) are the cumulative results of regional anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus inputs combined with land use and hydrological changes that primarily drive the eutrophication of downstream water bodies. This study focuses on t...

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Main Authors: Min Cao, Wei Gao, Yuan Zhang, Fen Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-04-01
Series:Environmental Systems Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-025-00399-2
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author Min Cao
Wei Gao
Yuan Zhang
Fen Guo
author_facet Min Cao
Wei Gao
Yuan Zhang
Fen Guo
author_sort Min Cao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Riverine nitrogen export (RNE) and riverine phosphorus export (RPE) are the cumulative results of regional anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus inputs combined with land use and hydrological changes that primarily drive the eutrophication of downstream water bodies. This study focuses on the characteristics of high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations as well as low discharge in rivers in arid regions, using the Liao River in northern China as an example. The spatiotemporal patterns of net anthropogenic nitrogen input (NANI) and net anthropogenic phosphorus input (NAPI) in the Liao River Basin during 2010 to 2020 were investigated. Results indicated that the multi-year averages for NANI and NAPI were 9453 kg N km−2 yr−1 and 1916 kg P km−2 yr−1, respectively. Our predictive models constructed based on the aforementioned influencing factors, explained 67% and 75% of the variations in RNE and RPE, respectively. Unlike previous studies, only a small portion of NANI and NAPI was exported through rivers. The RNE and RPE were 37 kg N km−2·yr−1 and 2 kg P km−2·yr−1, accounting for 0.42% of NANI and 0.12% of NAPI. RNE and RPE were significantly influenced by discharge and precipitation. The cropland ratio influenced the output ratio of NANI, whereas RPE was mainly influenced by the NAPI of developed land.
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spelling doaj-art-3edac78e2d1041b588e83030fb4dd7f62025-08-20T02:10:49ZengSpringerOpenEnvironmental Systems Research2193-26972025-04-0114111410.1186/s40068-025-00399-2Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrologyMin Cao0Wei Gao1Yuan Zhang2Fen Guo3Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of TechnologyGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of TechnologyGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of TechnologyGuangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of TechnologyAbstract Riverine nitrogen export (RNE) and riverine phosphorus export (RPE) are the cumulative results of regional anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus inputs combined with land use and hydrological changes that primarily drive the eutrophication of downstream water bodies. This study focuses on the characteristics of high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations as well as low discharge in rivers in arid regions, using the Liao River in northern China as an example. The spatiotemporal patterns of net anthropogenic nitrogen input (NANI) and net anthropogenic phosphorus input (NAPI) in the Liao River Basin during 2010 to 2020 were investigated. Results indicated that the multi-year averages for NANI and NAPI were 9453 kg N km−2 yr−1 and 1916 kg P km−2 yr−1, respectively. Our predictive models constructed based on the aforementioned influencing factors, explained 67% and 75% of the variations in RNE and RPE, respectively. Unlike previous studies, only a small portion of NANI and NAPI was exported through rivers. The RNE and RPE were 37 kg N km−2·yr−1 and 2 kg P km−2·yr−1, accounting for 0.42% of NANI and 0.12% of NAPI. RNE and RPE were significantly influenced by discharge and precipitation. The cropland ratio influenced the output ratio of NANI, whereas RPE was mainly influenced by the NAPI of developed land.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-025-00399-2Net anthropogenic nitrogen inputNet anthropogenic phosphorus inputRiverine nitrogen exportRiverine phosphorus exportArid regionPrediction model
spellingShingle Min Cao
Wei Gao
Yuan Zhang
Fen Guo
Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
Environmental Systems Research
Net anthropogenic nitrogen input
Net anthropogenic phosphorus input
Riverine nitrogen export
Riverine phosphorus export
Arid region
Prediction model
title Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
title_full Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
title_fullStr Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
title_full_unstemmed Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
title_short Riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed: combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs, land use, and hydrology
title_sort riverine nitrogen and phosphorus output in an arid watershed combined effects of anthropogenic nutrient inputs land use and hydrology
topic Net anthropogenic nitrogen input
Net anthropogenic phosphorus input
Riverine nitrogen export
Riverine phosphorus export
Arid region
Prediction model
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-025-00399-2
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