Assessment of nitrogen pollutant sources in surface waters of Taihu Lake region

The nitrogen (N) pollution status of the 12 most important rivers in Changshu, Taihu Lake region was investigated. Water samples were collected from depths of 0.5-1.0 m with the aid of the global positioning system (CPS). The seasonal variations in the concentrations of different N components in the rivers were measured. Using tension-free monolith lysimeters and N-15-labeled fertilizer, field experiments were carried out in this region to determine variations of N-15 abundance of NO3- in the leachate during the rice and wheat growing seasons, respectively. Results showed that the main source of N pollution of surface waters in the Taihu Lake region was not the N fertilizer applied in the farmland but the urban domestic sewage and rural human and animal excreta directly discharged into the water bodies without treatment. Atmospheric dry and wet N deposition was another evident source of N pollutant of the surface waters. In conclusion, it would not be correct to attribute the N applied to farmlands as the source of N pollution of the surface waters in this region.