Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors

Anthropogenic nutrient inputs in developing countries have substantially shaped global nutrient balance pattern for the past decades, responsible for the expanding eutrophication and pollutions. The massive alteration of socioeconomic factors and dietary habit make it difficult to identify their spe...

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Main Authors: Jia Liu, Wei Gao, Fen Guo, Yuan Zhang, Yanpeng Cai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Resources, Environment and Sustainability
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000714
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author Jia Liu
Wei Gao
Fen Guo
Yuan Zhang
Yanpeng Cai
author_facet Jia Liu
Wei Gao
Fen Guo
Yuan Zhang
Yanpeng Cai
author_sort Jia Liu
collection DOAJ
description Anthropogenic nutrient inputs in developing countries have substantially shaped global nutrient balance pattern for the past decades, responsible for the expanding eutrophication and pollutions. The massive alteration of socioeconomic factors and dietary habit make it difficult to identify their specific impacts on nutrient balance. This study utilized the net anthropogenic nitrogen (NANI) and phosphorus (NAPI) inputs models to calculate human induced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs in China from 1949 to 2022, and applied the XGBoost–SHAP algorithm to estimate the driving forces of socio–economic and dietary structure on them. Our findings revealed that both nutrient inputs peaked around 2014–2015 before declining and fertilizer application was the primary contributor (56% for N, 63% for P) from 1949 to 2022. Great variation of NANI and NAPI evolution patten was found in different regions. Eastern and southern provinces (e.g., Henan, Shanghai) had the highest inputs, while western regions (e.g., Tibet) had the lowest, correlating with economic and population density disparities. Spatial clustering highlighted the need for region–specific nutrient management strategies. Dietary shifts showed increased animal–based food consumption (6.89–fold rise) and urban–rural disparities, with developed regions exceeding recommended intake levels. Driving factors for NANI and NAPI differed by regions of different development stage. Urbanization and GDP were dominant drivers in developed areas (Type I), while population was key in less–developed regions (Type II). These findings underscore the importance of tailored policies to address nutrient pollution and dietary impacts, and provide new insights for formulating nutrient mitigation strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-ebd8b637bda847a2a07a6586d30bd8862025-08-20T05:08:01ZengElsevierResources, Environment and Sustainability2666-91612025-12-012210025910.1016/j.resenv.2025.100259Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factorsJia Liu0Wei Gao1Fen Guo2Yuan Zhang3Yanpeng Cai4Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, ChinaCorresponding author.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, ChinaAnthropogenic nutrient inputs in developing countries have substantially shaped global nutrient balance pattern for the past decades, responsible for the expanding eutrophication and pollutions. The massive alteration of socioeconomic factors and dietary habit make it difficult to identify their specific impacts on nutrient balance. This study utilized the net anthropogenic nitrogen (NANI) and phosphorus (NAPI) inputs models to calculate human induced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs in China from 1949 to 2022, and applied the XGBoost–SHAP algorithm to estimate the driving forces of socio–economic and dietary structure on them. Our findings revealed that both nutrient inputs peaked around 2014–2015 before declining and fertilizer application was the primary contributor (56% for N, 63% for P) from 1949 to 2022. Great variation of NANI and NAPI evolution patten was found in different regions. Eastern and southern provinces (e.g., Henan, Shanghai) had the highest inputs, while western regions (e.g., Tibet) had the lowest, correlating with economic and population density disparities. Spatial clustering highlighted the need for region–specific nutrient management strategies. Dietary shifts showed increased animal–based food consumption (6.89–fold rise) and urban–rural disparities, with developed regions exceeding recommended intake levels. Driving factors for NANI and NAPI differed by regions of different development stage. Urbanization and GDP were dominant drivers in developed areas (Type I), while population was key in less–developed regions (Type II). These findings underscore the importance of tailored policies to address nutrient pollution and dietary impacts, and provide new insights for formulating nutrient mitigation strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000714NANINAPISpatiotemporal characteristicDietary structureSustainable development
spellingShingle Jia Liu
Wei Gao
Fen Guo
Yuan Zhang
Yanpeng Cai
Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
Resources, Environment and Sustainability
NANI
NAPI
Spatiotemporal characteristic
Dietary structure
Sustainable development
title Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
title_full Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
title_fullStr Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
title_full_unstemmed Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
title_short Revealing long-term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in China: The effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
title_sort revealing long term dynamics and spatiotemporal drivers of anthropogenic nutrients inputs in china the effects of dietary and socioeconomic factors
topic NANI
NAPI
Spatiotemporal characteristic
Dietary structure
Sustainable development
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000714
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