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Assessment and identification of nitrogen pollution sources in the Cheongmi River with intensive livestock farming areas, Korea
- Source :
- Environmental science and pollution research international. 25(14)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- This study aimed to develop methods for assessing and identifying nitrogen sources in the Cheongmi River, Korea, that has intensive livestock farming areas (ILFA) in its watershed. The assessment focused on the feasibility of the simultaneous use of stable isotopic compositions of ammonium (δ15NNH4) and nitrate (δ15NNO3) for identifying the main nitrogen pollution sources in the Cheongmi River watershed. Our results suggested that the organic nitrogen (Org-N) to total nitrogen (T-N) ratio could be used as an indicator for assessing the effect of livestock excreta on waterways in ILFA. We observed that the T-N concentration was much more strongly affected by livestock excreta than the T-P concentration in the mainstream of the Cheongmi River. The positive correlation was more significant between δ15NNH4 and NH4-N than that between δ15NNO3 and NO3-N for river water samples. Furthermore, the use of δ15NNH4 was more effective than that of δ15NNO3 in evaluating nitrogen variations between May and August in the Cheongmi River because the differences in δ15NNH4 between May and August were more remarkable compared to those in δ15NNO3. Finally, the simultaneous use of δ15NNH4 and δ15NNO3 showed that the dominant nitrogen source at sites M3, M4, M5, and M6, specifically in May, was livestock excreta in the Cheongmi River. The results of this study could be used for sustainable water quality management in the Cheongmi River watershed.
- Subjects :
- Watershed
Livestock
Nitrogen
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
0208 environmental biotechnology
chemistry.chemical_element
02 engineering and technology
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
Nitrate
Rivers
Ammonium Compounds
Republic of Korea
Water Pollution, Chemical
Environmental Chemistry
Animals
Water pollution
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Nitrates
Nitrogen Isotopes
business.industry
General Medicine
Pollution
020801 environmental engineering
Livestock farming
chemistry
Nutrient pollution
Environmental science
Water quality
Water resource management
business
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16147499
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental science and pollution research international
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6ac5f91f474ddcf48d6c507b1df98c2b