Multi-scale analysis of the dependence of water quality on land use using linear and mixed models

Abstract

Land use influences water quality in streams at different spatial scales and varies in time and space. Water quality has long been associated with agricultural and urban land uses in catchments. The effects of developed, forest, pasture, and agricultural land use on nitrogen, nitrate, and nitrite (NNN); total phosphorus (TP); total suspended solids (TSS); chemical oxygen demand (COD); dissolved oxygen (DO) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) concentrations and their sensitivity were quantified to spatial pattern differences. The linear mixed modeling framework was used to examine the importance of spatial extent on models with water quality parameters as the response variable and land use types as the predictor variable. The results indicated that land use categories on different water quality parameters were significant and dependent on the selected spatial scales. Land use exhibited a strong association with total phosphorus and total suspended solids for close reach distances. Phosphorus is not highly soluble, and it binds strongly to fine soil particles, which are transported by water via runoff. Nitrogen, nitrate, and nitrite, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations were better predicted for further reach distances, such as 45 or 50 km, where the best model of nitrogen, nitrate, and nitrite is consistent with the high mobility of NO3−.