An Estimated Structural Equation Model to Assess the Effects of Land Use on Water Quality and Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Streams of the Nam-Han River System, South Korea

Jong-Won Lee, Sang-Woo Lee, Kyung-Jin An, Soon-Jin Hwang and Nan-Young Kim
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Jong-Won Lee: Graduate Program, Department of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
Sang-Woo Lee: Department of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
Kyung-Jin An: Department of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
Soon-Jin Hwang: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
Nan-Young Kim: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul 05029, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: The extent of anthropogenic land use in watersheds determines the amount of pollutants discharged to streams. This indirectly and directly affects stream water quality and biological health. Most studies have therefore focused on ways to reduce non-point pollution sources to streams from the surrounding land use in watersheds. However, the mechanistic pathways between land use and the deterioration of stream water quality and biological assemblages remain unclear. This study estimated a structural equation model (SEM) representing the impact of agricultural and urban land use on water quality and the benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMI) using IBM AMOS in the Nam-Han river systems, South Korea. The estimated SEM showed that the percent of urban and agricultural land in the watersheds significantly affected both the water quality and the BMI of the streams. Specifically, a higher percent of urban land use had directly increased the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total phosphorus (TP), and deteriorated the BMI of streams. Similarly, higher proportions of agricultural land use had also directly increased the BOD, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, and lowered the BMI of streams. In addition, it was observed that the percent of urban and agricultural land use had indirectly deteriorated the BMI through increased BOD. However, we were not able to observe any significant indirect effect of the percent of urban and agricultural land use through increased nutrients including TN and TP. These results indicate that increased urban and agricultural land use in the watersheds had directly and indirectly affected the physicochemical characteristics and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in streams. Our findings emphasize the need to develop more elaborate environmental management and restoration strategies to improve the water quality and biological status of streams.

Keywords: land use; water quality; stream; structural equation model; benthic macroinvertebrates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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