Spatial Correlations between Nitrogen Budgets and Surface Water and Groundwater Quality in Watersheds with Varied Land Covers

Deok-Woo Kim, Eu Gene Chung (), Eun Hye Na and Youngseok Kim
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Deok-Woo Kim: Water Environment Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea
Eu Gene Chung: Water Environment Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea
Eun Hye Na: Water Environment Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea
Youngseok Kim: Water Environment Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs can have detrimental environmental effects, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the nitrogen budget (NB) and its spatial correlation with the water quality. This study, utilizing a 2016 dataset, scrutinized 850 subwatersheds with diverse land covers across the Republic of Korea (ROK). Employing Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), it examined the spatial correlations between the NBs and the quality of the groundwater and river water at the watershed scale. Robust correlations (R 2 = 0.87) were observed between the groundwater quality and NBs, surpassing those of the surface water (R 2 = 0.48). Sensitivity analyses highlighted the importance of high-resolution spatial data in capturing nuances within complex land covers. The integration of such data led to increases in the spatial correlations between the groundwater and river water quality of approximately 0.6–0.9 and 0.3–0.5, respectively. Notably, when the agricultural land cover exceeded 10%, significant enhancements in the spatial correlations were observed, emphasizing the pivotal role of agriculture in nutrient and water quality. At a 10% cropland ratio, the spatial correlations between the watershed-scale NBs and river/groundwater quality increased by approximately 76% and 501%, respectively. This study provides novel insights into the spatial relationships among NBs, water quality, and land use, highlighting the significance of high-resolution data and the impact of agricultural practices on watershed management. These findings contribute valuable information for developing strategies to mitigate nitrogen pollution.

Keywords: complex land uses; geographically weighted regression; nutrient budget; watershed; water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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