Relating nitrogen sources and aquifer susceptibility to nitrate in shallow ground waters of the United States.

نویسنده

  • B T Nolan
چکیده

Characteristics of nitrogen loading and aquifer susceptibility to contamination were evaluated to determine their influence on contamination of shallow ground water by nitrate. A set of 13 explanatory variables was derived from these characteristics, and variables that have a significant influence were identified using logistic regression (LR). Multivariate LR models based on more than 900 sampled wells predicted the probability of exceeding 4 mg/L of nitrate in ground water. The final LR model consists of the following variables: (1) nitrogen fertilizer loading (p-value = 0.012); (2) percent cropland-pasture (p < 0.001); (3) natural log of population density (p < 0.001); (4) percent well-drained soils (p = 0.002); (5) depth to the seasonally high water table (p = 0.001); and (6) presence or absence of a fracture zone within an aquifer (p = 0.002). Variables 1-3 were compiled within circular, 500 m radius areas surrounding sampled wells, and variables 4-6 were compiled within larger areas representing targeted land use and aquifers of interest. Fitting criteria indicate that the full logistic-regression model is highly significant (p < 0.001), compared with an intercept-only model that contains none of the explanatory variables. A goodness-of-fit test indicates that the model fits the data well, and observed and predicted probabilities of exceeding 4 mg/L nitrate in ground water are strongly correlated (r2 = 0.971). Based on the multivariate LR model, vulnerability of ground water to contamination by nitrate depends not on any single factor but on the combined, simultaneous influence of factors representing nitrogen loading sources and aquifer susceptibility characteristics.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Nitrate distributions and source identification in the Abbotsford-Sumas Aquifer, northwestern Washington State.

The Abbotsford-Sumas Aquifer is a shallow, predominantly unconfined aquifer that spans regions in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington, USA. The aquifer is prone to nitrate contamination because of extensive regional agricultural practices. A 22-month ground water nitrate assessment was performed in a 10-km2 study area adjacent to the international boundary in north...

متن کامل

Vulnerability of shallow groundwater and drinking-water wells to nitrate in the United States.

Two nonlinear models were developed at the national scale to (1) predict contamination of shallow ground water (typically < 5 m deep) by nitrate from nonpoint sources and (2) to predict ambient nitrate concentration in deeper supplies used for drinking. The new models have several advantages over previous national-scale approaches. First, they predict nitrate concentration (rather than probabil...

متن کامل

Tracing nitrate transport and environmental impact from intensive swine farming using delta nitrogen-15.

Natural-abundance delta15N showed that nitrate generated from commercial land application of swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) waste within a North Carolina Coastal Plain catchment was being discharged to surface waters by ground water passing beneath the sprayfields and adjacent riparian buffers. This was significant because intensive swine farms in North Carolina are considered non-discharge oper...

متن کامل

Regional nitrate and pesticide trends in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California.

Protection of ground water for present and future use requires monitoring and understanding of the mechanisms controlling long-term quality of ground water. In this study, spatial and temporal trends in concentrations of nitrate and pesticides in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, were evaluated to determine the long-term effects of agricultural and urban development on...

متن کامل

Source and transport controls on the movement of nitrate to public supply wells in selected principal aquifers of the United States

[1] In 2003–2005, systematic studies in four contrasting hydrogeologic settings were undertaken to improve understanding of source and transport controls on nitrate movement to public supply wells (PSW) in principal aquifers of the United States. Chemical, isotopic, and age tracer data show that agricultural fertilizers and urban septic leachate were the primary sources of large nitrate concent...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Ground water

دوره 39 2  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2001