Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China
Extreme drought-heatwaves can severely impact river water quality, yet the relationships and drivers underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study employed data-driven analyses to explore how water quality change is affected by extreme drought-heatwave events, with a focus on identif...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014651 |
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| author | Jie Jiang Zhaoli Wang Zhenxing Zhang Xushu Wu Chengguang Lai Zhaoyang Zeng Xiaohong Chen |
| author_facet | Jie Jiang Zhaoli Wang Zhenxing Zhang Xushu Wu Chengguang Lai Zhaoyang Zeng Xiaohong Chen |
| author_sort | Jie Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extreme drought-heatwaves can severely impact river water quality, yet the relationships and drivers underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study employed data-driven analyses to explore how water quality change is affected by extreme drought-heatwave events, with a focus on identifying the key hydrometeorological drivers. The unprecedented extreme drought-heatwave event in China from March to December in 2022 provides an ideal case study. The spatiotemporal development was characterized by using meteorological drought index and drought centroid tracking, and the responses of nine water quality constituents to this event were quantified. Results revealed that the drought-heatwave was jointly driven by a significant decrease in precipitation (up to ∼50 % less than usual) and sustained high temperatures (∼2 °C above normal). Water quality deteriorated notably during this event, evidenced by ever-increased total nitrogen (TN) concentration (∼25 % to ∼30 % higher than non-drought period), higher TN extremes (27.5 mg/L), and decreased dissolved oxygen (DO) (∼−1.0 to ∼−0.5 mg/L lower than non-drought). Northern and central China particularly suffered from severe deterioration, concentrating 71 % of TN loads during the drought period, with a steeper TN load increase than in non-drought periods. Behind water quality degradation, air temperature emerged as the predominant driver of water quality deterioration, followed by streamflow and precipitation, with correlation coefficients (R) between temperature and TN/DO ranging from −0.74 to −0.59. This study revealed that extreme drought-heatwave event critically deteriorate river water quality in China, highlighting the urgent need for adaptive strategies to protect and restore water quality during extreme drought-heatwave events. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ff2a60aaeeea426780dfa70f8352d795 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-ff2a60aaeeea426780dfa70f8352d7952025-01-31T05:10:28ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113008Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in ChinaJie Jiang0Zhaoli Wang1Zhenxing Zhang2Xushu Wu3Chengguang Lai4Zhaoyang Zeng5Xiaohong Chen6School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510335, ChinaThe Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2204 Griffith Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, USASchool of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510335, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China; Corresponding author.Center for Water Resource and Environment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, ChinaExtreme drought-heatwaves can severely impact river water quality, yet the relationships and drivers underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study employed data-driven analyses to explore how water quality change is affected by extreme drought-heatwave events, with a focus on identifying the key hydrometeorological drivers. The unprecedented extreme drought-heatwave event in China from March to December in 2022 provides an ideal case study. The spatiotemporal development was characterized by using meteorological drought index and drought centroid tracking, and the responses of nine water quality constituents to this event were quantified. Results revealed that the drought-heatwave was jointly driven by a significant decrease in precipitation (up to ∼50 % less than usual) and sustained high temperatures (∼2 °C above normal). Water quality deteriorated notably during this event, evidenced by ever-increased total nitrogen (TN) concentration (∼25 % to ∼30 % higher than non-drought period), higher TN extremes (27.5 mg/L), and decreased dissolved oxygen (DO) (∼−1.0 to ∼−0.5 mg/L lower than non-drought). Northern and central China particularly suffered from severe deterioration, concentrating 71 % of TN loads during the drought period, with a steeper TN load increase than in non-drought periods. Behind water quality degradation, air temperature emerged as the predominant driver of water quality deterioration, followed by streamflow and precipitation, with correlation coefficients (R) between temperature and TN/DO ranging from −0.74 to −0.59. This study revealed that extreme drought-heatwave event critically deteriorate river water quality in China, highlighting the urgent need for adaptive strategies to protect and restore water quality during extreme drought-heatwave events.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014651Water qualityData-driven analysisWater managementNitrogenDissolved oxygenDrought-heatwave |
| spellingShingle | Jie Jiang Zhaoli Wang Zhenxing Zhang Xushu Wu Chengguang Lai Zhaoyang Zeng Xiaohong Chen Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China Ecological Indicators Water quality Data-driven analysis Water management Nitrogen Dissolved oxygen Drought-heatwave |
| title | Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China |
| title_full | Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China |
| title_fullStr | Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China |
| title_short | Extreme drought-heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in China |
| title_sort | extreme drought heatwave exacerbates water quality deterioration in china |
| topic | Water quality Data-driven analysis Water management Nitrogen Dissolved oxygen Drought-heatwave |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014651 |
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