Sources and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Haihe River Basin, China.

Water quality monitoring stations are crucial for detecting excess pollutants in river sections, but identifying the causes of these exceedances can be challenging, especially in heavily polluted rivers with multiple contamination sources. To address this issue, we used the SWAT model to simulate pollution loads from various sources in the Haihe River Basin, analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of pollutants from seven nitrogen/phosphorus sources in sub-basins. Our results show that crop production is the primary contributor to nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Haihe River Basin, with the highest loads occurring in summer, followed by fall, spring, and winter. However, industries, atmospheric deposition, and municipal sewage treatment plants have a greater downstream impact on nitrogen/phosphorus contributions due to land use changes. The study highlights the need for targeted prevention and control policies based on the primary sources of pollution loads in different regions. • Soil and Water Assessment Tool model has strong applicability in complex watersheds. • Sources of N and P pollution are influenced by land use in the Haihe River Basin. • The spatiotemporal patterns of TN and TP loads in the Haihe River Basin are similar. • TN/TP contributions from point sources and atmospheric deposition are evident. • Stakeholder engagement and prevention at source are key to improving water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]