Alarming nutrient pollution of Chinese rivers as a result of agricultural transitions

Transitions in Chinese agriculture resulted in industrial animal production systems, disconnected from crop production. We analyzed side-effects of these transitions on total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and phosphorus (TDP) inputs to rivers. In 2000, when transitions were ongoing, 30%-70% of the manure...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research letters 2016-02, Vol.11 (2), p.24014-24023
Main Authors: Strokal, Maryna, Ma, Lin, Bai, Zhaohai, Luan, Shengji, Kroeze, Carolien, Oenema, Oene, Velthof, Gerard, Zhang, Fusuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
agricultural transitions
Animal manures
Animal production
Arable land
Basins
China
Crop production
Discharge
Environmental perception
Eutrophication
integrated modeling
Manures
Nutrient pollution
Nutrients
Phosphorus
Rivers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Transitions in Chinese agriculture resulted in industrial animal production systems, disconnected from crop production. We analyzed side-effects of these transitions on total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and phosphorus (TDP) inputs to rivers. In 2000, when transitions were ongoing, 30%-70% of the manure was directly discharged to rivers (range for sub-basins). Before the transition (1970) this was only 5%. Meanwhile, animal numbers more than doubled. As a result, TDN and TDP inputs to rivers increased 2- to 45-fold (range for sub-basins) during 1970-2000. Direct manure discharge accounts for over two-thirds of nutrients in the northern rivers and for 20%-95% of nutrients in the central and southern rivers. Environmental concern is growing in China. However, in the future, direct manure inputs may increase. Animal production is the largest cause of aquatic eutrophication. Our study is a warning signal and an urgent call for action to recycle animal manure in arable farming.
ISSN:1748-9326
1748-9326
DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024014