Method for calculating non-point source pollution distribution in plain rivers

The land area in a river network is divided into certain-scale square cells for the sake of precision, and, based on the physical mechanisms of rainfall-runoff processes and runoff pollution, the non-point source pollution from cells is estimated using the export coefficients of different land use types. The non-point source pollution from a land cell should all go into the closest fiver reach, so it is distributed according to the terrain of the plain river network area and the positions of land cells and river network reaches. A relationship between a single land cell and its pollution-receiving reach can be determined using this system. In view of the above, a spatial distribution model of the rainfall runoff and non-point source pollution in reaches of a plain river network area was established. This model can provide technological support for further research on the dynamic effects of non-point source pollution on water quality.

Water level updating model for flow calculation of river networks

Complex water movement and insufficient observation stations are the unfavorable factors in improving the accuracy of flow calculation of river networks. A water level updating model for river networks was set up based on a three-step method at key nodes, and model correction values were collected from gauge stations. To improve the accuracy of water level and discharge forecasts for the entire network, the discrete coefficients of the Saint-Venant equations for river sections were regarded as the media carrying the correction values from observation locations to other cross-sections of the river network system. To examine the applicability, the updating model was applied to flow calculation of an ideal river network and the Chengtong section of the Yangtze River. Comparison of the forecast results with the observed data demonstrates that this updating model can improve the forecast accuracy in both ideal and real river networks.

Assessment of the sources and transformations of nitrogen in a plain river network region using a stable isotope approach

The great spatial and temporal variability in hydrological conditions and nitrogen（N）processing introduces large uncertainties to the identification of N sources and quantifying N cycles in plain river network regions. By combining isotopic data with chemical and hydrologic measurements, we determined the relative importance of N sources and biogeochemical N processes in the Taige River in the East Plain Region of China. The river was polluted more seriously by anthropogenic inputs in winter than in summer. Manure and urban sewage effluent were the main nitrate（NO-3） sources, with the nitrification of N-containing organic materials serving as another important source of NO-3. In the downstream, with minor variations in hydrological conditions, nitrification played a more important role than assimilation for the decreasing ammonium（NH＋4-N） concentrations.The N isotopic enrichment factors（ε） during NH＋4utilization ranged from- 13.88‰ in March to- 29.00‰ in July. The ratio of the increase in δ^18O and δ^15N of river NO-3in the downstream was 1.04 in January and 0.92 in March. This ratio indicated that NO-3assimilation by phytoplankton was responsible for the increasing δ^15N and δ^18O values of NO-3in winter. The relationships between δ^15N of particulate organic nitrogen and isotopic compositions of dissolved inorganic nitrogen indicated that the phytoplankton in the Taige River probably utilized NH＋4preferentially and mainly in summer, while in winter, NO-3assimilation by phytoplankton was dominant.