Effects of Watershed Characteristics on Stream Water 
Quality at Seasonal Scale in a China Headwater Watershed

Chulei Zhang

doi:10.70711/eph.v2i6.8049

Effects of Watershed Characteristics on Stream Water Quality at Seasonal Scale in a China Headwater Watershed

Chulei Zhang

Abstract

Understanding the key catchment characteristics influencing water quality is necessary for effective land use to protect river health.
To identify key catchment characteristics at the watershed and seasonal scales, we considered the relationship between watershed characteristics (land use composition and configuration) and water quality parameters (including total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen,
ammonium nitrogen, chlorophyll a, chloride, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and salinity) in the headwater catchments of the Ying River
located in China for 20182019 using stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) and redundancy analysis (RDA) methods. The results
showed that catchment characteristic variables such as patch density, contagion, and Shannon diversity index were well suited for predicting individual water quality parameters. Catchment characteristic variables could explain 91.25% of the overall water quality variation for
summer and 92.38% for winter, respectively. The most explanatory variables influencing overall water quality were patch density and areal
percentage of croplands, which could explain 28.5% and 24.8% of the overall water quality variation for summer and winter, respectively.
The decline in water quality was closely related to the areal percentage of croplands, forests, and urban areas and their spatial configuration,
especially as related to landscape fragmentation due to urbanization and agricultural activities. These results provide valuable insights to guide
land and water management in the research area and to improve the region's water quality.

Keywords

Redundancy analyses(RDA); Stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR); Seasonal scale; Water quality; Watershed characteristics

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/eph.v2i6.8049

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