Characteristics of chloride loading from urban and agricultural watersheds during storm and non-storm periods
Jina Beom,
Minhyuk Jeung,
Woojung Choi,
Younggu Her,
Kwangsik Yoon
Affiliations
Jina Beom
Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed Tideland Agriculture, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Minhyuk Jeung
Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed Tideland Agriculture, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Woojung Choi
Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed Tideland Agriculture, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
Younggu Her
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, Florida 33186, USA
Kwangsik Yoon
Department of Rural and Biosystems Engineering & Education and Research Unit for Climate-Smart Reclaimed Tideland Agriculture, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
The chloride ion (Cl−) can adversely affect an aquatic ecosystem, but it is not clear how Cl− moves with runoff and how its transport processes are related to land uses and land cover. This study investigated how the loading characteristics of Cl− vary depending on storm events and land cover in a temperate region. We monitored Cl− concentrations in three study watersheds that have different compositions of urban and agricultural land uses. In addition, a Mass First Flush ratio (MFFn) was determined to quantify the effect of first flush on Cl− loading. Overall, the observed concentrations and loadings in this study were found to be less than those reported in cold northern regions. The monitoring data showed that Cl− concentrations and loads observed in an urban watershed were significantly larger than those of a rural watershed. The results suggest water management plans should focus on urbanized areas and their storm water to efficiently reduce chloride loading to downstream waterbodies. However, a further study is recommended to identify the sources and pathways of Cl− loaded to waterbodies. HIGHLIGHTS Cl− loading varies depending on storm events and land cover.; The first flush effect on Cl− loading was strong in urban storm runoff.; The urban watersheds had significantly larger Cl− loads than the rural watershed.;