Open AccessGroundwater nitrate pollution in intensively farmed regions
Author(s) -
Balcerak Ernie
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2011eo490017
Subject(s) - groundwater , nitrate , environmental science , agriculture , water resource management , water quality , surface water , water pollution , water supply , farm water , hydrology (agriculture) , agricultural land , pollution , drainage basin , groundwater pollution , water resources , environmental engineering , environmental protection , aquifer , geography , water conservation , ecology , engineering , geotechnical engineering , cartography , archaeology , biology
Intensified agricultural practices that have developed during the past century have helped improve food security for many people but have also added to nitrate pollution in water supply. Balancing the water needs for agriculture with the need for clean groundwater for drinking requires understanding factors such as the routes by which nitrate enters the water supply and how long nitrate remains in the water. The Thames River catchment provides a good study example because the water quality in the river, which supplies drinking water to millions of people, has been monitored for the past 140 years, and the region has undergone significant agricultural development over the past century. Howden et al. studied nitrate transport from agricultural land to water in the Thames basin using a simple model that considers an estimate of the amount of nitrate that could leach the groundwater based on land use practices along with an algorithm that determines the route nitrate would take to reach surface water or groundwater from agricultural areas.