Point and Diffuse Nutrient Emissions and Transports in the Odra Basin and its Main Tributaries

The river Odra is one of the biggest transboundary rivers in Central Europe. The basin is characterized by an area of 110 074 km?sk (upstream Krajnik Dolny) and a population of about 15.5 million inhabitants. Compared with the Westeuropean river basins the specific runoff of the Odra basin is low and amounts only 4.5 L km?sk s–1. The long term changes of the average annual nutrient transport of the Odra at Krajnik Dolny show for the period 1991 to 1994 a low reduction for phosphorus but no changes for nitrogen. For the period of 1991 to 1994 an inventory of the point sources produces emissions of 10.7 kt a–1 P and 54.4 kt a–1 N upstream of the station Krajnik Dolny/Schwedt. Emissions from agricultural land and urban areas represent the main diffuse sources. A range of 68 to 96 kt a–1 N and 3.3 to 3.9 kt a–1 P were estimated for the total diffuse emissions depending on the database and the method of modeling. The emission situation of the river is characterized by a high dominance of point sources in the case of phosphorus (about 73%). For nitrogen the diffuse emissions dominate the total emissions to an amount between 59 and 67%. Compared to the emissions the nutrient transport is low. An average load of 5.1 kt a–1 P and 70.1 kt a–1 N was observed at the station Krajnik Dolny for the period 1991 to 1994. The emission and load situation within the main tributaries of the river Odra is comparable to the whole basin. The big difference between the total emissions and the observed load refers to intensive retention and loss processes within the river system of the Odra.     

Modelling water fluxes for the analysis of diffuse pollution at the river basin scale

Diffuse pollution is a significant and sometimes even major component of surface water pollution. Diffuse inputs of pollutants to the surface water are related to runoff of precipitation. This means that the analysis of diffuse pollutant fluxes from the land surface to the surface water requires an analysis of water fluxes. In this paper we have modelled the average long‐term total runoff, groundwater recharge index and groundwater residence times for two large European river basins (Rhine and Elbe). We applied and compared two independently developed and recently published methods. We found that with the available large‐scale databases and methods we could simulate successfully the regional patterns of the average long‐term total runoff. The reported groundwater recharge indices and groundwater residence times should be interpreted as estimates based on available knowledge and databases. They do not represent absolute values, but illustrate the possible travel times and spatial patterns of the different runoff components that have to be taken into account for the analysis of diffuse pollution at large regional and temporal scales. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nutrient fluxes at the river basin scale. I: the PolFlow model

Human activity has resulted in increased nutrient levels in rivers and coastal seas all over Europe. Models that can describe nutrient fluxes from pollution sources to river outlets may help policy makers to select the most effective source control measures to achieve a reduction of nutrient levels in rivers and coastal seas. Part I of this paper describes the development of such a model: PolFlow. PolFlow was specially designed for operation at the river basin scale and is here applied to model 5‐year average nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes in two European river basins (Rhine and Elbe) covering the period 1970–1995. Part II reports an error analysis and model evaluation, and compares PolFlow to simpler alternative models. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The composition of nutrient fluxes from contrasting UK river basins

Accurate estimates of N and P loads were obtained for four contrasting UK river basins over a complete annual cycle. The fractionation of these loads into dissolved and particulate, and inorganic and organic components allowed a detailed examination of the nutrient load composition and of the factors influencing both the relative and absolute magnitude of these components. The particulate phosphorus (TPP) loads account for 26–75% of the annual total phosphorus (TP) transport and are predominantly inorganic. The inorganic (PIP) and organic (POP) fractions of the TPP loads represent 20–47% and 6–28% of the annual TP transport, respectively. In contrast, the particulate nitrogen loads (TPN) represent 8% or less of the annual total nitrogen (TN) loads and are predominately organic. For dissolved P transport, the dissolved inorganic fraction (DIP) is more important, representing 15–70% of the TP loads, whereas the dissolved organic fraction (DOP) represents only 3–9% of the TP loads. The TN loads are dominated by the dissolved component and more particularly the total oxidized fraction (TON), which is composed of nitrate and nitrite and represents 76–82% of the annual TN transport. The remaining dissolved N species, ammonium (NH₄-N) and organic N (DON) account for 0·3–1·2% and 13–16% of the annual TN transport, respectively. The TPN and TPP fluxes closely reflect the suspended sediment dynamics of the study basins, which are in turn controlled by basin size and morphology. The dissolved inorganic nutrient fluxes are influenced by point source inputs to the study basins, especially for P, although the TON flux is primarily influenced by diffuse source contributions and the hydrological connectivity between the river and its catchment area. The dissolved organic fractions are closely related to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics, which are in turn influenced by land use and basin size. The magnitude of the NH₄-N fraction was dependent on the proximity of the monitoring station to point source discharges, because of rapid nitrification within the water column. However, during storm events, desorption from suspended sediment may be temporarily important. Both the magnitude and relative contribution of the different nutrient fractions exhibit significant seasonal variability in response to the hydrological regime, sediment mobilization, the degree of dilution of point source inputs and biological processes. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diagnosis of river basins as CO2 sources or sinks subject to sediment movement

Sediment movement during erosion, transport and deposition greatly affects the ecosystem of river basins. However, there is presently no consensus as to whether particular river basins act as carbon dioxide (CO₂) sources or sinks related to these processes. This paper introduces a rule‐of‐thumb coordinate system based on sediment delivery ratio (SDR) and soil humin content (SHC) in order to evaluate the net effect of soil erosion, sediment transport and deposition on CO₂ flux in river basins. The SDR–SHC system delineates CO₂ source and sink areas, and further divides the sink into strong and weak areas according to the world‐average line. The Yellow River Basin, most severely suffering soil erosion in the world, only appears to be a weak erosion‐induced CO₂ sink in this system. The average annual CO₂ sequestration is ~0·235 Mt from 1960 to 2008, a relatively small value considering its 3·1% contribution to the World's sediment discharge. The temporal analysis shows that the Yellow River Basin was once a source in the 1960s, but changed its role to become a weak sink in the past 40 years due to both anthropogenic and climatic influences. The spatial analysis identifies the middle sub‐basin as the main source region, and the lower as the main sink. For comparison, sediment‐movement‐related CO₂ fluxes of eight other major basins in four continents are examined. It is found that the six basins considered in the Northern Hemisphere appear to be sinks, while the other two in the Southern Hemisphere act as sources. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrograph peakedness and basin area

The peakedness of a basin and its variation with drainage area were analyzed for three areas. Peakedness of a basin is calculated as mean flow as a percentage of highest flow. A fitted power curve relating ‘Peakedness index’ (PI) to drainage area for each of the three areas indicates a break point in a basin of about 300 km². This break point divides the basins into small basins which are more peaky and large basins which are less peaky. The break point is an outcome of a difference in order of magnitude between channel flow velocity from the headwater sources and hillside flow velocity. When the basin responds to hillslope flow the runoff from the head water sources has already flown about 30 km downstream.     

Pesticides in the River Rhine Pestizide im Rhein

Since 1987 significant decrease of pesticide concentrations in the river Rhine has been observed. This is due to the improvement of waste water treatment processes and the closing of some pesticide production sites in the Rhine basin area. Whereas in the last years point pollution from waste water effluents was the dominant source for pesticide input into the river, nowadays the nonpoint pollution (diffuse runoff) becomes more and more important. This leads to seasonal occurrence or to higher concentration peaks after application in agriculture. Only for atrazine and its metabolite desethylatrazine very low ?background”?-levels could regularly be found along the river and all over the year. Furthermore pesticide metabolites and byproducts seem to be interesting for evaluating pesticide pollution in the river Rhine.     

Physically-based hydrological modelling for non-point dissolved phosphorus transport in small and medium-sized river basins / Modélisation hydrologique à bases physiques et du transport de phosphore dissous diffus en bassins versants de petite et moyenne tailles

Abstract

Abstract Current research suggests that strategies to control sediment and phosphorus loss from non-point sources should focus on different runoff components and their spatial and temporal variations within the river basin. This is a prerequisite for determining effective management measures for reducing diffuse source pollution. Therefore, non-point source models, especially in humid climatic regions, should consider variable hydrologically active source areas. These models should be able to consider runoff generation by saturated overland flow, as well as Hortonian overland flow. A combination of the hydrological model WaSiM-ETH and the erosion and P-transport model AGNPS was chosen for this study. The models were run in the WaSiM runoff generation mode (Green & Ampt/TOPMODEL or Richards equation approach) and the SCS curve number mode to assess the effect of these different runoff calculation procedures on the dissolved phosphorus yield. A small and a medium-sized river basin, of the area of 1.44 and 128.9 km², respectively, in central Germany were selected for the investigation. The results show that the WaSiM–AGNPS coupling produces more accurate results than the SCS curve number method. For the spatial distribution, the more physically-based model approach computed a much more realistic distribution of water and phosphorus yield-producing areas.     

Heavy metals in the hydrological cycle: Trends and explanation

This paper reviews the major sources and transport characteristics of heavy metals in the hydrological cycle. It is demonstrated that heavy metal releases to the environment have changed from 19th and early 20th century production-related activities to consumption-oriented factors in more recent times. The relative roles of particle size, sorption and desorption processes, partitioning and the chemical speciation of heavy metals on fine sediments are identified to understand the likely fate of heavy metals released into fluvial systems. It is argued that the spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metals in the river corridor depends not only on an understanding of metal solubility and speciation, but also on an understanding of sediment dynamics which control, for example, floodplain alluviation and the accumulation of metals in the bottom sediments of contaminated rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Existing long- and short-term records are examined to identify the current state of knowledge about the factors which affect heavy metal releases into aquatic environments. With limited exceptions, it is shown that few long-term studies of trends in heavy metal transport are available although, for some major rivers, limited data on trends in metal concentration exists. Palaeolimnological reconstruction techniques, based on an analysis of lake and reservoir sediments, are identified as a possible means of supplementing monitored records of heavy metal transport. Although numerous studies have suggested that trends in atmospheric contamination, mining and urbanization may be identified in the bottom sediment record, other research has shown that the radionuclide-based chronology and the heavy metal distribution within the sediment are more likely to be a function of post-depositional remobilization than the history of metal loading to the basin. Despite these limitations, it is shown that the incorporation of reservoir bottom sediment analysis into a heavy metal research programme, based in river corridors of Midland England, provides an opportunity to identify and quantify the relative contribution of point and non-point contributions to the heavy metal budget and to relate trends in metal contamination to specific periods of catchment disturbance.     

Small river basin and estuarine sediment fluxes: The magnitude necessary for coastal dispersion and siltation effects on a coral reef

Increasing continental suspended sediment influx to coral reefs is an example of land-sea coupling that requires the identification of sources, magnitude of transport, and controlling processes. In Brazil, a small coastal basin (Macaé River) was identified as a source of suspended sediment to a coral reef on the coast of Cape Armação dos Búzios. Biannual suspended sediment loads were measured at the basin as were fluxes within the estuary and towards the coast during eight tidal cycles. Particle load and yield from this basin were typical of small coastal basins, showing high to moderate slopes and transitional land management. However, the magnitude of the river loads was lower than the sediment transport within the estuary, indicating that the estuary amplifies river fluxes and sustains the transference of suspended sediment alongshore to the coral reef. Nonetheless, the estuary displays both suspended particle retention and export capacity and, therefore, fluxes to the coast and the coral reef occur as episodic events.     

Formation of surface water quality in the basin of the upper reaches of the ural river under technogenic transformation of the environment

The natural conditions and the anthropogenic factors governing the formation of the environmental-hydrochemical situation in the rivers of the upper part of Ural R. basin are analyzed. Pollution transport is partially taking place under the conditions of hampered water exchange, caused by the structure of river channels and runoff regulation. The study confirms the uneven distribution of heavy metal concentrations in river water in different seasons, which is mostly due to differences in river runoff characteristics. The long duration and the high intensity of anthropogenic impact have considerably weakened the stability of river systems.     

Chemical forms of heavy metal contaminants in sediments of Miyun reservoir

The chemical forms, spatial distribution and sources of As, Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn in sediments of the Miyun reservoir were studied. The results of sequential extraction demonstrate that most of As, Pb and Zn were bound to the residual fraction, Hg was associated with the sulfide fraction while Cd was associated with the carbonate fraction and the residual fraction. On the vertical profiles the concentrations of the heavy metals in total and each fractions mostly decreased with increasing depths in sediments, suggesting that the heavy metals input from the upstream watershed increases yearly. Summation of the residual fraction, the sulfide fraction and the carbonate fraction accounts for 60.03%―85.60% of the total heavy metal contents in the sediments, which represent the geochemical background values of the elements and relate closely to soil erosion. Results of the main factor analysis show that most sediments of the reservoir come from the upstream soil erosion, the point source pollution and domestic waste. Moreover, the microbial activities taking place on the sediment-water interface are also one of the major factors to cause the increasing content of the organic matter fraction and the iron-manganese oxide fraction. Environmental change of the reservoir water could make the removability of the heavy metals increase, leading to the increase of their concentrations in pore water in sediments, and imperiling water quality of the reservoir.     

Cross-spectral analysis of rainfall and runoff for Raritan and Mullica river basins in New Jersey

Cross-correlation and cross-spectral analysis were employed in the analysis of rainfall and runoff in two river basins: the Raritan and Mullica River basins in New Jersey. Cross-covariance and coherence were studied in the correlograms for the following correlation cases: (a) rainfall-runoff for each one basin separately; (b) rainfall-rainfall analysis for two main meteorological stations in each one of the basins; (c) runoff-runoff for two main gaging stations in each one of the basins. From the estimates of the coherence at various frequencies the cross-spectral analysis shows a highly nonlinear relationship between rainfall and runoff in Raritan and Mullica River basins. A poor coherence observed at the annual cycles for each basin makes it difficult to predict the annual oscillations of runoff from those of rain-fall by a linear regression model. The high coherence between rainfall (or runoff) at the first station and rainfall (or runoff) at the second station within the same basin at almost all frequencies establishes an accurate prediction on a linear basis.     

Particulate heavy metal transport in the lower Paraíba do Sul River basin,southeastern, Brazil

In the present study an attempt has been made to calculate the mass transfers of suspended particulate matter and associated heavy metal within the lower portion of the Paraíba do Sul River drainage basin and the contribution of its tributaries. The highest metal loads were related with the highest water flows and, consequently, with the highest suspended particulate matter loads, which increased both by surface runoff and sediment resuspension. The highest flow month for the total transported load contributed between 34 and 66% of the total metal transported per year. The total load transported during the entire rainy season ranges from 82 to 93% of the total transported load. The importance of the tributary input for the total transported load of the Paraíba do Sul River was generally lower than 10%, although in some months, when the Paraíba do Sul River had low water discharge and strong local rain occurred, this increased upto 40%. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heavy metal inflow into the floodplains at the mouth of the river Weiße Elster (Central Germany)

From 1998 to 2002 investigations were carried out to estimate both the quantity and quality (heavy metal contents) of suspended matter loads discharged into a floodplain area measuring approx. 5 km² of the Central German river Weiße Elster, a tributary of the river Saale in the Elbe river basin. Flood sediments, suspended particulate matter, and floodplain soils were investigated especially for the main pollutants Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Hg. Supplementary gamma spectroscopy examinations were performed to help to identify the age of deposits in order to estimate sedimentation rates for last decades. The recent flood sediments are contaminated by up to 33 times the geogenic background (Cd). Up to 55% of the total annual SPM load of the river Weiße Elster is relocated into the investigated retention area in the flood‐stricken year 2002. The sedimentation rates for the last 50 years vary between 0.5 mm/a and 1 mm/a in far away and rarely flooded parts and between 1 mm/a and 2 mm/a in the frequently flooded parts of the inflow of the retention area.     

Influence of agricultural development and climate changes on the drainage valley density of the southern half of the Russian Plain

The southern half of the Russian Plain is characterized by a relatively short history of intensively ploughed lands.The duration varies from approximately three centuries in the southern part of the forest zone to less than one century in some parts of the steppe zone.It was found that after cultivation,on more than 40％ of lands in river basins the drainage valley density (Ddv) decreased by 15-58％ in all landscape zones.In the first stage,the Ddv decrease was mostly associated with increasing surface runoff coefficient after cultivation of virgin lands with proportional decreases in groundwater runoff.In the second stage,usually after reaching areas of arable lands in river basins ＞ 60％,the volume of eroded sediments entering small fiver channels exceeded the transport capacities of the permanent water-courses.As a result,the river channels completely silted.In later stages,the sediment redistribution cascade within the small river basins of the Russian Plain stabilized because of the increasing proportion of sediment eroded from the basin areas and re-deposited before entering the river channels because of the increasing area of sediment sinks due to the increase in dry valley lengths and total areas.The morphological parameters of small valleys and groundwater discharges are the key parameters that affect the intensity of small river aggradation on the regional scale.     

Water source dynamics of high Arctic river basins

Arctic river basins are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change. However, there is currently limited knowledge of the hydrological processes that govern flow dynamics in Arctic river basins. We address this research gap using natural hydrochemical and isotopic tracers to identify water sources that contributed to runoff in river basins spanning a gradient of glacierization (0–61%) in Svalbard during summer 2010 and 2011. Spatially distinct hydrological processes operating over diurnal, weekly and seasonal timescales were characterized by river hydrochemistry and isotopic composition. Two conceptual water sources (‘meltwater’ and ‘groundwater’) were identified and used as a basis for end‐member mixing analyses to assess seasonal and year‐to‐year variability in water source dynamics. In glacier‐fed rivers, meltwater dominated flows at all sites (typically >80%) with the highest contributions observed at the beginning of each study period in early July when snow cover was most extensive. Rivers in non‐glacierized basins were sourced initially from snowmelt but became increasingly dependent on groundwater inputs (up to 100% of total flow volume) by late summer. These hydrological changes were attributed to the depletion of snowpacks and enhanced soil water storage capacity as the active layer expanded throughout each melt season. These findings provide insight into the processes that underpin water source dynamics in Arctic river systems and potential future changes in Arctic hydrology that might be expected under a changing climate. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling localized sources of sediment in mountain catchments for provenance studies

A hydrology–sediment modelling framework based on the model Topkapi-ETH combined with basin geomorphic mapping is used to investigate the role of localized sediment sources in a mountain river basin (Kleine Emme, Switzerland). The periodic sediment mobilization from incised areas and landslides by hillslope runoff and river discharge is simulated in addition to overland flow erosion to quantify their contributions to suspended sediment fluxes. The framework simulates the suspended sediment load provenance at the outlet and its temporal dynamics, by routing fine sediment along topographically driven pathways from the distinct sediment sources to the outlet. We show that accounting for localized sediment sources substantially improves the modelling of observed sediment concentrations and loads at the outlet compared to overland flow erosion alone. We demonstrate that the modelled river basin can shift between channel-process and hillslope-process dominant behaviour depending on the model parameter describing gully competence on landslide surfaces. The simulations in which channel processes dominate were found to be more consistent with observations, and with two independent validations in the Kleine Emme, by topographic analysis of surface roughness and by sediment tracing with ¹⁰ Be concentrations. This research shows that spatially explicit modelling can be used to infer the dominant sediment production process in a river basin, to inform and optimize sediment sampling strategies for denudation rate estimates, and in general to support sediment provenance studies. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sources of alimentation and variability of their contribution to river runoff formation in European Russia

The genetic conditions of water runoff formation are studied for rivers in European Russia, whose basins are located in the zones of taiga, mixed forests, forest-steppe and steppe, and semi-deserts and deserts, as well as in the Northern Caucasus foothills. The genetic roles of rain, snowmelt, and subsurface waters are determined from results of the runoff hydrograph analysis based on the method developed by B. I. Kudelin. The effects of river dimensions, water abundance of the year, and local factors (the relative areas of forests and lakes and the elevation of watersheds) on the contribution of various sources of river alimentation to the formation of river water runoff are evaluated.