Dynamic Changes of Nitrogen Loads in Source–Sink Landscapes under Urbanization

Yanmin Li, Jianxiong Tang and Shenghui Cui ()
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Yanmin Li: School of Geomatics, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China
Jianxiong Tang: Xiamen Municipal Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, Xiamen 361021, China
Shenghui Cui: Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: The dynamic changes of nitrogen (N) loads have been significantly impacted by the rapid expansion of many cities, potentially escalating the risk of N pollution in cities. However, the spatiotemporal changes of N loads in source and sink landscapes remain unclear in urbanization. In this research, we used source–sink landscape theory to identify the source–sink landscape in the process of N flow at the city scale and investigated the spatiotemporal changes of N loads in the source–sink landscape from 2005 to 2015 in Xiamen, a rapidly urbanizing city in southern China. The total N loads of source landscapes increased by 2 times between 2005 and 2015, with an average annual growth of 26%, while the total N loads of sink landscapes climbed gradually, with an average annual increase of 8%, according to our findings. Moreover, in terms of the spatial gradient, the N loads of the source landscape fluctuated downward and reached their peak in the urban center, whereas the N loads of the sink landscape tended to rise and reached their peak outside of the city. Our findings offered a fresh viewpoint on the source–sink landscape in N flows at the city scale and offered useful guidance for N spatial management to support sustainable city development.

Keywords: nitrogen loads; spatiotemporal change; source–sink landscape; urbanization; spatial gradient (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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