Anthropogenic reactive nitrogen releases and gray water footprints in urban water pollution evaluation: the case of Shen
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Anthropogenic reactive nitrogen releases and gray water footprints in urban water pollution evaluation: the case of Shenzhen City, China Yaqing Wang1,2 · Chaofan Xian1 · Yaqiong Jiang3 · Xuelian Pan4 · Zhiyun Ouyang1 Received: 30 March 2019 / Accepted: 30 September 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract With rapid urbanization in China, anthropogenic reactive nitrogen (Nr) releases to urban environment contribute to water resource depletion and serious water quality deterioration. This study assessed nitrogen-related water pollution in an urbanized city (Shenzhen, China) by using the indicators of gray water footprint (GWF) and water pollution level (WPL), concerning potential impacts of aquatic Nr releases on administrate districts and affiliated urban rivers within city. The results showed that urban aquatic Nr releases decreased dynamically with average 15.98 thousand t N during 2001–2016, accompanied with the reduction in gray water footprint from 23.06 × 108 to 15.56 × 108 m3, mainly from residential activities. Administrative districts of Baoan and Longgang were the main regional GWF producers during 2012–2016. Areas containing urban rivers with especially high potential WPLs were mainly located in northern Baoan, and northeast Longgang district, and the risks for water pollution development still spread over urban water networks in Shenzhen City. Several strategies (encourage sustainable lifestyle, target infrastructure improvements and develop district-level GWF reduction targets) are needed to mitigate urban water pollution. This study provides insights into the status of assimilation capacity within a city to mitigate aquatic N pollution, meeting current water challenge. Keywords Anthropogenic reactive nitrogen · Gray water footprint · Water pollution · Sustainable management · Shenzhen
1 Introduction Urban growth causes increased consumption of nutritional elements worldwide; this increase coupled with changes in population and dietary structures accelerates post-consumption nutrient release to the environments (Lin et al. 2016; Xian et al. 2019). Nitrogen (N), as the basic element that supports life, is directly and indirectly added into the water environment in the form of reactive nitrogen (Nr), which generally includes all reactive N atoms contained in organic N, and nitrate and the amide that loads groundwater and surface * Chaofan Xian [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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water via leaching, erosion and runoff, and subsequently brings serious environmental and health problems (Galloway et al. 2003). In China, urban population growth and nutritional transition during rapid urbanization have increased nutrient N transfer within cities through importation and accumulation of food supplies (Lin et al. 2016). As an important source of Nr, human activity increases the anthropogenic Nr load in the urban water environment after N consumption, which leads to rapid water resource depletion and serious water
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