A GIS-based Upscaling Estimation of Nutrient Runoff Losses from Rice Paddy Fields to a Regional Level.

Nutrient runoff losses from cropping fields can lead to nonpoint source pollution; however, the level of nutrient export is difficult to evaluate, particularly at the regional scale. This study aimed to establish a novel yet simple approach for estimating total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) runoff losses from regional paddy fields. In this approach, temporal changes of nutrient concentrations in floodwater were coupled with runoff-processing functions in rice ( L.) fields to calculate nutrient runoff losses for three site-specific field experiments. Validation experiments verified the accuracy of this method. The geographic information system technique was used to upscale and visualize the TN and TP runoff losses from field to regional scales. The results indicated that nutrient runoff losses had significant spatio-temporal variation characteristics during rice seasons, which were positively related to fertilizer rate and precipitation. The average runoff losses over five study seasons were 20.21 kg N ha for TN and 0.76 kg P ha for TP. Scenario analysis showed that TN and TP losses dropped by 7.64 and 3.0%, respectively, for each 10% reduction of fertilizer input. For alternate wetting and drying water management, the corresponding reduction ratio was 24.7 and 14.0% respectively. Our results suggest that, although both water and fertilizer management can mitigate nutrient runoff losses, the former is significantly more effective.

[Factors affecting activation and transference of soil colloidal phosphorus and related analysis technologies].

Colloids play a key role in the transference process of phosphorus (P) in soil. Activation and transference of soil colloidal phosphorus have great effect on soil P pool and the surrounding water quality. This paper summarized the current studies on soil colloidal P, discussing the effects of the various factors (e. g., soil physical and chemical properties, fertilization, rainfall and soil amendments) on the transference of soil colloidal P. Some advanced analysis technologies (e.g., flow field-flow fractionation, transmission electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, X-ray absorption near-edge structure and nuclear magnetic resonance) and methods of reducing soil colloidal P were also involved. This review would provide important information on the mechanism of soil colloidal P transference.

Biological thresholds of nitrogen and phosphorus in a typical urban river system of the Yangtz delta, China.

River health and associated risks are fundamentally dependent on the levels of the primary productivities, i.e., sestonic and benthic chlorophyll-a. We selected a typical urban river system of the Yangtz delta to investigate nutrient and non-nutrient responses of chlorophyll-a contents and to determine biological thresholds of N and P. Results showed the mean contents of sestonic and benthic chlorophyll-a across all sampling points reached 10.2 µg L(-1) and 149.3 mg m(-2). The self-organized mapping analysis suggested both chlorophyll-a contents clearly responded to measurements of N, P, and water temperature. Based on the chlorophyll-a criteria for fresh water and measured variables, we recommend the biological thresholds of N and P for our river system be set at 2.4 mg N L(-1) and 0.2 mg P L(-1), and these be used as initial nutrient reference values for local river managers to implement appropriate strategies to alleviate nutrient loads and trophic status.