Non-point source pollution and long-term effects of best management measures simulated in the Qifeng River Basin in the karst area of Southwest China

Abstract

Abstract Non-point source (NPS) pollution has caused serious threats to water quality on a global scale. However, the investigation using a single measure with multi-scenarios for the long-term simulation in karst agricultural watershed is still lacking. In this study, the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution (AnnAGNPS) model was developed to verify the applicability in a karst agricultural watershed. Then, the model was used to determine the best management measures (BMPs) and the reduction rate characteristics under long-term effects (about 10 years) in the watershed. The AnnAGNPS model perform well in simulating in NPS pollution with R2 (0.95 for runoff, 0.93 for TN, and 0.93 for TP, respectively) and NSE (0.95 for runoff, 0.53 for TN, and 0.57 for TP, respectively). The output of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) primarily occurred in the rainy season (up to 80%). The loss of mass of TN and TP were mainly observed in orchards and woodlands in the upstream of each sub-basin. The results from AnnAGNPS model demonstrated that different BMPs had significant impacts on the reduction of NPS pollution. Furthermore, a same BMPs measure showed it was closely related to land use in the watershed. In the Qifeng River watershed, stubble tillage (ST) showed to be useful with relatively good reduction rates (16.64% for sediment, 17.85% for TN, and 17.80% for TP, respectively). The simulation results indicated that AnnAGNPS was a valuable tool after validation for the planning and management of the watershed in karst areas.