A novel framework reveals anthropogenic stressors of phosphorus polluted river-lake connection water system in Poyang lake basin of China

Zhongwen Yang; Haitao Chen; Chi Ma; Xin Gao; Chen Yang; Wenchao Sun; Yuqiu Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122794

A novel framework reveals anthropogenic stressors of phosphorus polluted river-lake connection water system in Poyang lake basin of China

J Environ Manage. 2024 Oct 11:370:122794. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122794. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhongwen Yang¹, Haitao Chen², Chi Ma³, Xin Gao¹, Chen Yang¹, Wenchao Sun⁴, Yuqiu Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environment Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; Laboratory of Aquatic Ecosystem Evaluation and Conservation, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Technology for Complex Trans-Media Pollution, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China. Electronic address: 1120210300@mail.nankai.edu.cn.
³ College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. Electronic address: 202131470016@mail.bnu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
⁵ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Technology for Complex Trans-Media Pollution, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China.

PMID: 39395290
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122794

Abstract

Poyang lake (PYL), as China's largest freshwater lake, has been suffering from increasing total phosphorus (TP) pollution associated with rapid basinal socio-economic development. However, anthropogenic phosphorus stressors were rarely examined in PYL basin due to its large-scale and complex river-lake connection water system, hampering phosphorus pollution control efforts. In this study, water pollution stress from multiple anthropogenic activities is quantitatively examined in PYL basin based on a newly developed framework coupling grey water footprint (GWF) analysis with the SPARROW model. Results show that the phosphorus source-sink process in PYL basin has been well simulated by SPARROW model quantifying an overall TP delivery rate of 0.39, with catchments closer to PYL showing higher delivery rate of phosphorus (up to over 0.8). The GWF analysis demonstrates that anthropogenic phosphorus sources have imposed much higher pollution stress on PYL than its inflowing rivers, with twelve catchments nearby PYL identified as critical source areas of TP contamination. Agricultural farming, livestock & poultry production, and urban household are recognized as the dominant anthropogenic stressors burdening water environment of PYL. Based on these, policy recommendations are provided for advancing control of the phosphorus pollution stressors. The methodology is effective in refined examination of water pollution sources, which is expected to be applied in other watersheds providing informative diagnosis of water issues especially in lakes.

Keywords: Grey water footprint; Phosphorus pollution; Poyang lake basin; SPARROW modelling; Source appointment; Source-sink process.