Using dual isotopes and a Bayesian isotope mixing model to evaluate sources of nitrate of Tai Lake, China.

Identification and quantification of sources of nitrate (NO3 - ) in freshwater lakes provide useful information for management of eutrophication and improving water quality in lakes. Dual δ15 N- and δ18 O-NO3 - isotopes and a Bayesian isotope mixing model were applied to identify sources of NO3 - and estimate their proportional contributions to concentrations of NO3 - in Tai Lake, China. In waters of Tai Lake, values for δ15 N-NO3 - ranged from 3.8 to 10.1‰, while values of δ18 O ranged from 2.2 to 12.0‰. These results indicated that NO3 - was derived primarily from agricultural and industrial sources. Stable isotope analysis in R called SIAR model was used to estimate proportional contributions from four potential NO3 - sources (agricultural, industrial effluents, domestic sewage, and rainwater). SIAR output revealed that agricultural runoff provided the greatest proportion (50.8%) of NO3 - to the lake, followed by industrial effluents (33.9%), rainwater (8.4%), and domestic sewage (6.8%). Contributions of those primary sources of NO3 - to sub-regions of Tai Lake varied significantly (p < 0.05). For the northern region of the lake, industrial source (35.4%) contributed the greatest proportion of NO3 - , followed by agricultural runoff (27.4%), domestic sewage (21.3%), and rainwater (15.9%). Whereas for the southern region, the proportion of NO3 - contributed from agriculture (38.6%) was slightly greater than that contributed by industry (30.8%), which was similar to results for nearby inflow tributaries. Thus, to improve water quality by addressing eutrophication and reduce primary production of phytoplankton, NO3 - from both nonpoint agricultural sources and industrial point sources should be mitigated. Graphical abstract ᅟ.