Effects of Environmental Protection Policies on Nutrient Export in the Yangtze River Basin

Li, J. (2021). Effects of Environmental Protection Policies on Nutrient Export in the Yangtze River Basin. IIASA YSSP Report. Laxenburg, Austria: IIASA

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Abstract

High resolution source data are pivotal for the simulation of nutrient production and fluxes in a watershed. This study constructed the CEIN (China emission inventory of nutrient) Model framework based on county data in China. Using the Yangtze River Basin as a case study, this study calculated the nutrient production and flux at the fine sub-basin resolution (level 8, from HydroBasin), analyzed the contribution of each source, and evaluated the impact of environmental protection policies on nutrient flux. The results illustrated that the CEIN Model framework could accurately calculate nutrient production and flux with R2 greater than 0.8. Compared to the nutrient production, environmental processes reduced TN and TP by more than 85% and 90% respectively for nutrient fluxes. The contributions of diffuse sources were much higher than those of point sources and direct sources. The contribution of cropland and livestock to nutrient production and flux were largest, while the contribution of freshwater aquaculture and urban non-point source couldn’t be ignored, especially at the local scale. The effect of increasing livestock manure recycling rate on nutrient flux was about 100 times that of improving discharge water quality of sewage treatment facilities. The environmental protection policies of points sources would require substantial investments for comparatively small gains, which suggests the focus should be put on non-point sources.

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