IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v96y2009i12p1819-1827.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hydrochemical and stable isotopic assessment of nitrate contamination in an alluvial aquifer underneath a riverside agricultural field

Author

Listed:
  • Chae, Gi-Tak
  • Yun, Seong-Taek
  • Mayer, Bernhard
  • Choi, Byoung-Young
  • Kim, Kyoung-Ho
  • Kwon, Jang-Soon
  • Yu, Soon-Young

Abstract

Major ions and stable isotopic ([delta]Dwater, [delta]18Owater, [delta]15Nnitrate, [delta]18Onitrate) measurements in concert with hydrochemical modeling were used in order to elucidate the sources and geochemical processes controlling nitrate contamination of shallow alluvial groundwater underneath a riverside agricultural field in the Buyeo area, Korea. Beneath vegetable fields in the sandy soil, the mean nitrate concentration of groundwater was 148.6mg/L, which is significantly higher than in groundwater (mean 28.8mg/L) beneath silty soils underneath rice paddy fields. Nitrogen isotope data indicate that synthetic fertilizers are the predominant source of groundwater nitrate in the study area. Denitrification during recharge through rice paddy soils appears to be responsible for the lower nitrate concentrations in groundwater beneath the silty soil zone. The relationship between nitrogen and oxygen isotope data of nitrate also suggests mixing of two different groundwater bodies with nitrates from the silt zone and the sand zone. Geochemical mass balance modeling on hydrochemical data indicates that various agricultural chemicals such as urea, lime, magnesium sulfate and potassium chloride dissolve in vegetable fields of the sandy zone, resulting in significant enrichment of various solutes such as K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3-, SO42- and Cl-. As a consequence of over-utilization of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, the sand zone is characterized by very high nitrate concentrations in the groundwater. This study suggests that a reduction of over-fertilization especially on vegetable fields in the riverside sand zone is required to minimize the nitrate contamination of groundwater. This study also shows that combination of geochemical and isotopic techniques with simple mass balance modeling provides information about the causes and processes of nitrate contamination of groundwater underneath a riverside agricultural field. The study also provides sustainable measures to optimize fertilization rate as an important basis of eco-friendly agriculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Chae, Gi-Tak & Yun, Seong-Taek & Mayer, Bernhard & Choi, Byoung-Young & Kim, Kyoung-Ho & Kwon, Jang-Soon & Yu, Soon-Young, 2009. "Hydrochemical and stable isotopic assessment of nitrate contamination in an alluvial aquifer underneath a riverside agricultural field," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(12), pages 1819-1827, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:96:y:2009:i:12:p:1819-1827
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378-3774(09)00231-5
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thayalakumaran, Thabo & Bristow, Keith L. & Charlesworth, Philip B. & Fass, Thorsten, 2008. "Geochemical conditions in groundwater systems: Implications for the attenuation of agricultural nitrate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 103-115, February.
    2. Costa, J. L. & Massone, H. & Martinez, D. & Suero, E. E. & Vidal, C. M. & Bedmar, F., 2002. "Nitrate contamination of a rural aquifer and accumulation in the unsaturated zone," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 33-47, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pinardi, Monica & Soana, Elisa & Severini, Edoardo & Racchetti, Erica & Celico, Fulvio & Bartoli, Marco, 2022. "Agricultural practices regulate the seasonality of groundwater-river nitrogen exchanges," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    2. Kwon, Hong-Il & Koh, Dong-Chan & Cho, Byong-Wook & Jung, Youn-Young, 2022. "Nutrient dynamics in stream water and groundwater in riparian zones of a mesoscale agricultural catchment with intense seasonal pumping," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guo, Huaming & Li, Guanghe & Zhang, Dayi & Zhang, Xu & Lu, Chang'ai, 2006. "Effects of water table and fertilization management on nitrogen loading to groundwater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(1-2), pages 86-98, April.
    2. Slamini, Maryam & Sbaa, Mohamed & Arabi, Mourad & Darmous, Ahmed, 2022. "Review on Partial Root-zone Drying irrigation: Impact on crop yield, soil and water pollution," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    3. Xie, Zheyu & Zhang, Yujing & Zhang, Zhenyu & Huang, Jinliang, 2023. "Nitrate removal mechanism in riparian groundwater in an intensified agricultural catchment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    4. Rimski-Korsakov, Helena & Rubio, Gerardo & Lavado, Raul S., 2004. "Potential nitrate losses under different agricultural practices in the pampas region, Argentina," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 83-94, March.
    5. Wang, Jingjing, 2022. "Harnessing natural attenuation to reduce CAFOs nitrate emissions: An integrated modeling approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    6. A. Moratalla & J. Gómez-Alday & J. De las Heras & D. Sanz & S. Castaño, 2009. "Nitrate in the Water-Supply Wells in the Mancha Oriental Hydrogeological System (SE Spain)," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(8), pages 1621-1640, June.
    7. Aparicio, V. & Costa, J.L. & Zamora, M., 2008. "Nitrate leaching assessment in a long-term experiment under supplementary irrigation in humid Argentina," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(12), pages 1361-1372, December.
    8. Kaown, Dugin & Koh, Dong-Chan & Yu, Hakyeong E. & Kim, Heejung & Yoon, Yoon-Yeol & Yum, Byoung-Woo & Lee, Kang-Kun, 2020. "Combined effects of recharge and hydrogeochemical conditions on nitrate in groundwater of a highland agricultural basin based on multiple environmental tracers," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    9. Fang Liu & Zhili Zhang & Jindun Xu, 2023. "Electrochemical Mechanisms and Optimization System of Nitrate Removal from Groundwater by Polymetallic Nanoelectrodes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-17, January.
    10. Muschietti-Piana, Maria del Pilar & Cipriotti, Pablo Ariel & Urricariet, Susana & Peralta, Nahuel Raul & Niborski, Mauricio, 2018. "Using site-specific nitrogen management in rainfed corn to reduce the risk of nitrate leaching," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 61-70.
    11. Lu, Na & Villa, Kira M., 2018. "The effect of farming on rural household’s health: A natural experiment in China," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274441, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    12. Azad, Nasrin & Behmanesh, Javad & Rezaverdinejad, Vahid & Abbasi, Fariborz & Navabian, Maryam, 2018. "Developing an optimization model in drip fertigation management to consider environmental issues and supply plant requirements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 344-356.
    13. Merchán, D. & Causapé, J. & Abrahão, R. & García-Garizábal, I., 2015. "Assessment of a newly implemented irrigated area (Lerma Basin, Spain) over a 10-year period. II: Salts and nitrate exported," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 288-296.
    14. David Manuel-Navarrete & Gilberto Gallopín & Mariela Blanco & Martín Díaz-Zorita & Diego Ferraro & Hilda Herzer & Pedro Laterra & María Murmis & Guillermo Podestá & Jorge Rabinovich & Emilio Satorre &, 2009. "Multi-causal and integrated assessment of sustainability: the case of agriculturization in the Argentine Pampas," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 621-638, June.
    15. Gao, Jingbo & Li, Zhiqin & Chen, Zhujun & Zhou, Yang & Liu, Weiguo & Wang, Lei & Zhou, Jianbin, 2021. "Deterioration of groundwater quality along an increasing intensive land use pattern in a small catchment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    16. Irina Marinov & Anca Marinov, 2014. "A Coupled Mathematical Model to Predict the Influence of Nitrogen Fertilization on Crop, Soil and Groundwater Quality," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(15), pages 5231-5246, December.
    17. Na Lu & Kira M. Villa, 2022. "Agricultural support and contaminated spillovers: The effects of agricultural water pollution on adult health in China," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 788-821, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:96:y:2009:i:12:p:1819-1827. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.