Publication
Title
The impact of land use and spatial mediated processes on the water quality in a river system
Author
Abstract
River systems are highly complex, hierarchical and patchy systems which are greatly influenced by both catchment surroundings and in-stream processes. Natural and anthropogenic land uses and processes affect water quality (WQ) through different pathways and scales. Understanding under which conditions these different river and catchment properties become dominant towards water chemistry remains a challenge. In this study we analyzed the impact of land use and spatial scales on a range of WQ variables within the Kleine Nete catchment in Belgium. Multivariate statistics and spatial descriptors (Moran's and Asymmetric Eigenvector Maps) were used to assess changes in water chemistry throughout the catchment. Both land use and complex mixes of spatial descriptors of different scales were found to be significantly associated to WQ parameters. However, unidirectional, upstream-downstream changes in water chemistry, often described in river systems, were not found within the Kleine Nete catchment. As different sources and processes obscure and interact with each other, it is generally difficult to understand the correct impact of different pollution sources and the predominant pathways. Our results advocate for WQ management interventions on large and small scales where needed, taking the predominate pathways in to account.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The science of the total environment. - Amsterdam, 1972, currens
Publication
Amsterdam : 2017
ISSN
0048-9697 [print]
1879-1026 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.05.217
Volume/pages
601 (2017) , p. 365-373
ISI
000406294900038
Pubmed ID
28570971
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Global Ecosystem Functioning and Interactions with Global Change.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 23.06.2017
Last edited 09.10.2023
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