Impacts of Land Use Change and Summer Monsoon on Nutrients and Sediment Exports from an Agricultural Catchment
water Article Impacts of Land Use Change and Summer Monsoon on Nutrients and Sediment Exports from an Agricultural Catchment Kiyong Kim 1,*, Bomchul Kim 2, Jaesung Eum 2, Bumsuk Seo 2, Christopher L. Shope 3 ID and Stefan Peiffer 1 1 Department of Hydrology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany; S.peiffer@uni-bayrueth.de 2 Department of Environmental Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea; bkim@kangwon.ac.kr (B.K.); jseum@kangwon.ac.kr (J.E.); bumsukseo@kangwon.ac.kr (B.S.) 3 Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, USA; cshope@utah.gov * Correspondence: kiyong122333@gmail.com; Tel.: +89-33-252-4443 Received: 5 April 2018; Accepted: 23 April 2018; Published: 24 April 2018 Abstract: Agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution is a major concern for water quality management in the Soyang watershed in South Korea. Nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), organic matter, and sediment exports in streams were estimated in an agricultural catchment (Haean catchment) for two years. The stream water samples were taken in dry and rainy seasons to evaluate the effect of monsoonal rainfall on pollutants exports. The influence of land use changes on NPS pollution was assessed by conducting a land use census and comparing the NPS characteristic exports. Total phosphorus (TP), suspended solids (SS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) increased dramatically in rainy seasons. Land uses were changed during the study period. Dry fields and rice paddies have decreased distinctively while orchard (apple, grape, and peach) and ginseng crops showed an increase within the catchment.
[Show full text]