Nitrate in aquifers beneath agricultural systems

Research from several regions of the world provides spatially anecdotal evidence to hypothesize which hydrologic and agricultural factors contribute to groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Analysis of nationally consistent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey's NAWOA prog...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water Science & Technology 2002-01, Vol.45 (9), p.19-29
Main Authors: BURKART, M. R, STONER, J. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Agriculture
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Animal wastes
Animals
Animals, Domestic
Applied sciences
Aquifers
Biological and medical sciences
Carbonates
Contamination
Corn
Cybersecurity
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environmental Monitoring
Europe
Exact sciences and technology
Fertilizers
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geological surveys
Groundwater
Groundwater pollution
Groundwater recharge
Groundwaters
Horticulture
Hydrology
Leaching
Livestock
Manure
Mineral nutrients
Natural water pollution
Nitrates
Nitrates - analysis
Point source pollution
Pollution
Pollution, environment geology
Regions
Risk Assessment
Russia
Soil
Soil and water pollution
Soil contamination
Soil permeability
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soil science
Soybeans
Surveying
Trends
Unconfined aquifers
Unconsolidated aquifers
United States
Vulnerability
Water monitoring
Water Pollutants - analysis
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:Research from several regions of the world provides spatially anecdotal evidence to hypothesize which hydrologic and agricultural factors contribute to groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Analysis of nationally consistent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey's NAWOA program confirms these hypotheses for a substantial range of agricultural systems. Shallow unconfined aquifers are most susceptible to nitrate contamination associated with agricultural systems. Alluvial and other unconsolidated aquifers are the most vulnerable and shallow carbonate aquifers provide a substantial but smaller contamination risk. Where any of these aquifers are overlain by permeable soils the risk of contamination is larger. Irrigated systems can compound this vulnerability by increasing leaching facilitated by additional recharge and additional concentrations of groundwater nitrate than all other agricultural systems, although mean nitrate concentrations in counties with dairy, poultry, cattle and grains, and horticulture systems were similar. If trends in the relation between increased fertilizer use and groundwater nitrate in the United States are repeated in other regions of the world, Asia may experience increasing problems because of recent increases in fertilizer use. Groundwater monitoring in Western and Eastern Europe as well as Russia over the next decade may provide data to determine if the trend in increased nitrate contamination can be reversed. If the concentrated livestock trend in the United States is global, it may be accompanied by increasing nitrogen contamination in groundwater. Concentrated livestock provide both point sources in the confinement area and intense non-point sources as fields close to facilities are used for manure disposal. Regions where irrigated cropland is expanding, such as in Asia, may experience the greatest impact of this practice.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2002.0195