Journal article
Identification and Scaling Behavior Assessment of the Dominant Hydrological Factors of Nitrate Concentrations in Streamflow
Journal of hydrologic engineering, Vol.25(6), p.6020002
06/01/2020
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001934
Abstract
AbstractNitrate-nitrogen (nitrate) pollution remains one of the most common causes of surface water quality degradation. Previous studies explored the fractal scaling behavior of controlling factors, but few studies investigated the change of scaling characteristics with time and the influence of a combination of factors on streamflow nitrate concentration (SFC). This study showed that a suite of hydrological factors impacting the SFC variations at multiple temporal scales can be determined using wavelet coherence analysis. The scaling behavior for controlling factors was evaluated using multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. Results showed that streamflow and base flow exhibited persistent behavior, whereas the precipitation exhibited variable scaling behaviors that contributed to significant SFC fluctuations at multiple scales. Streamflow had substantial control on the SFC fluctuations when the time scale was shorter than 90 days. The combination of precipitation and streamflow formed the dominant processes impacting SFC at larger temporal scales (>90 days). These results provide an effective way to identify the factors influencing SFC variations across scales and predict the temporal evolution of SFC.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Identification and Scaling Behavior Assessment of the Dominant Hydrological Factors of Nitrate Concentrations in Streamflow
- Creators
- Xiufen Gu - Hohai Univ. Ph.D. Student, State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, College of Mechanics and Materials, , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210098, . EmailHongGuang Sun - Hohai Univ. Professor, State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, College of Mechanics and Materials, , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210098, (corresponding author). ORCID: . EmailGeoffrey R Tick - Univ. of Alabama Professor, Dept. of Geological Sciences, , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. EmailYueHan Lu - Univ. of Alabama Associate Professor, Dept. of Geological Sciences, , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. EmailYoukuan Zhang - Southern Univ. of Science and Technology Professor, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, , Shenzhen 518055, . EmailYong Zhang - Univ. of Alabama Associate Professor, Dept. of Geological Sciences, , Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. EmailKeith Schilling - Univ. of Iowa State Geologist, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Iowa Geological Survey, , 109 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242. Email
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of hydrologic engineering, Vol.25(6), p.6020002
- Publisher
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- DOI
- 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001934
- ISSN
- 1084-0699
- eISSN
- 1943-5584
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2020
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984066348602771
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