1. Assessment of the Sources of Nitrate in the Changjiang River, China Using a Nitrogen and Oxygen Isotopic Approach.
- Author
-
SI-LIANG LI, CONG-QIANG LIU, JUN LI, XIAOLONG LIU, CHETELAT, BENJAMIN, BAOLI WANG, and FUSHUN WANG
- Subjects
- *
NITROGEN in water , *NITRATES , *RESEARCH methodology , *POLLUTION , *STABLE isotopes , *WATER sampling , *OXYGEN isotopes , *NITROGEN isotopes , *SEWAGE disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. , *NITROGEN fertilizers - Abstract
The Changjiang River is the largest freshwater river in China. Here, the sources and variability in nitrate of the Changjiang River are assessed for the first time using dual isotopic approach. Water samples were collected once in August 2006 from the main channel of the Changjiang and its major tributaries. The concentrations and isotopic composition of nitrate were then analyzed for the waters in the Changjiang River. The δ15N and δ18O of NO3- ranges from 7.3‰ to 12.9‰ and 2.4‰ to 11.2‰ in the Changjiang River waters, respectively. The ranges of isotopic compositions of nitrate suggested that nitrification (including "modified fertilizer") and urban sewage effluent are the major sources of nitrate in the Changjiang River. The high δ18O-NO3- values were observed in the water of the upper reaches, indicated that the current drought might be one important reason for shifting of isotopes in the special sampling period. In addition, there was a strong positive relationship between δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-, which indicated that denitrification added to the enrichment of heavy isotopes of nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF