Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Riverine Nitrogen and Phosphorus at Different Catchment Scales in Huixian Karst Wetland, Southwest China

Abstract

Spatio-temporal dynamics of riverine nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in karst regions are closely linked to hydrological conditions, human activities and karst features in upstream catchments. From October 2017 to September 2019, we undertook 22 sampling campaigns in 11 nested catchments ranging from 21.00 to 373.37 km2 in Huixian karst wetland to quantify forms, concentrations, and fluxes of riverine total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), and to identify spatial and temporal variations of nutrients transfer from upstream to downstream, tributaries (Mudong River and Huixian River) to the main stem (Xiangsi River) in the dry and wet seasons. Considering the hydrological conditions, human activities and karst features within upstream catchments, the following three spatial and temporal variations of riverine nutrients were found over the monitoring period: (1) the dynamics of riverine nitrogen and phosphorus varied seasonally with hydrological conditions; (2) the spatial disparities of riverine nitrogen and phosphorus were induced by different human activities within catchment scales; (3) the dynamics of riverine nitrogen and phosphorus varied similarly at spatial scale restricted by karst features. The findings from this study may improve our understanding of the influence of hydrological conditions, human activities and karst features on nitrogen and phosphorus variations in river waters at different spatial and temporal scales in the Huixian karst wetland basin, and will help managers to protect and restore river water environments in karst basin from a catchment-scale perspective.