Understanding nitrogen transport in the unsaturated zone with fluctuations in groundwater depth

Fluctuations in groundwater depth play an important role and are often overlooked when considering the transport of nitrogen in the unsaturated zone. To evaluate directly the variation of nitrogen transport due to fluctuations in groundwater depth, the prediction model of groundwater depth and nitrogen transport were combined and applied by least squares support vector machine and Hydrus-1D in the western irrigation area of Jilin in China. The calibration and testing results showed the prediction models were reliable. Considering different groundwater depth, the concentration of nitrogen was affected significantly with a groundwater depth of 3.42–1.71 m, while it was not affected with groundwater depth of 5.48–6.47 m. The total leaching loss of nitrogen gradually increased with the continuous decrease of groundwater depth. Furthermore, the limited groundwater depth of 1.7 m was found to reduce the risk of nitrogen pollution. This paper systematically analyzes the relationship between groundwater depth and nitrogen transport to form appropriate agriculture strategies.