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Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 17401

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yonggui Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Regional Ecology and Environmental Change, School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: pollution source identification; risk assessment of water quality; water environment modelling; Artificial Intelligence; water environment management systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Qiang Liu

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor Assistant

Sichuan Province Environmental Monitoring Station, Chengdu 610041, China
Interests: water environment monitoring; pollution source identification; water quality assessment; water environment modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The vast majority of the world's population lives in areas where water security is at high risk. Due to rapid socioeconomic development and the overexploitation of water resources, the quality of the water environment is declining, and serious water pollution problems are occurring in some areas. In the future, increased demand and changes in precipitation patterns resulting from climate change will further exacerbate water pollution and water scarcity, posing a great threat to the water ecological environment and human health. This Special Issue focuses on the hot and difficult issues in water environment quality, highlights the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of water pollutants and their drivers, and discusses the issues of water pollution accident simulation and water pollution risk assessment. The findings included will provide important knowledge and a scientific basis for determining the trends in water quality changes, adopting management measures and establishing early warning mechanisms.

Topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Water quality assessment;
Spatial–temporal variation in water quality in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs;
Driving factor analysis of water quality variation;
Simulation and early warning of sudden water environment accidents;
Risk assessment of water quality;
Study on the coefficient of water environment models;
New technique for water quality or risk assessment.

Dr. Yonggui Wang
Guest Editor

Dr. Qiang Liu
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

water pollutants
spatial–temporal variation
driving factors
sudden water pollution incidents
model coefficient
water quality modelling
water quality assessment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3833 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Analysis of Quality Parameters Changes in Agricultural Water Systems with Wavelet Transform Model

by Ozan Deniz, Yeşim Ahi, Zafer Aslan, Funda Dökmen and Abdül Halim Orta

Water 2025, 17(5), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17050662 - 25 Feb 2025

Viewed by 854

Abstract

Climate change, population growth, industrialization, overconsumption, and pollution strain water and resources, posing risks to ecosystem sustainability. Urgent action plans based on decision support systems are essential to protect environmental health and secure global food resources. This study employs the Wavelet model to analyze the impacts of agricultural and environmental factors on water resources in a selected irrigation basin by assessing water quality parameters, including chemical, physical, and biological properties, through seasonal sampling and wavelet transformations to detect temporal and spatial trends. Results showed increased salinity, nitrate, boron, total suspended solids (TSS), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in groundwater and irrigation canals, particularly during dry periods. High nitrate (average 0.36 mg/L) and TSS levels (average 1152 mg/L) were linked to agricultural activities, while industrial influences contributed to the variability of boron ranging from 0.01 to 0.40 mg/L and COD ranging from 20 to 235 mg/L. The study highlights the temporal persistence of water quality challenges and spatial differences driven by external and environmental factors. Predictive wavelet analyses suggest that without intervention, water quality could worsen. These findings highlight the need for wavelet-based techniques to develop accurate management strategies for mitigating environmental impacts and ensuring long-term resource sustainability in irrigation-dependent regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality)

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21 pages, 20727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Influence of Extreme Rainfall on Urban Surface Water Quality: A Case Study of Hangzhou, China

by Wanyi Huang, Peng Zhang, Dong Xu, Jianyong Hu and Yuan Yuan

Water 2025, 17(1), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17010117 - 4 Jan 2025

Viewed by 988

Abstract

In recent years, climate change has increased the frequency of extreme rainfall events, significantly impacting surface water quality (SWQ). This study focuses on Hangzhou, utilizing rainfall data from June 2021 to May 2024 to calculate a series of rainfall extreme indices (REIs). It explores the spatiotemporal variations in these REIs alongside SWQ parameters, including water temperature (WT), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and turbidity. This research also analyzes the correlations between SWQ parameters and REIs for the first time. The results show that extreme rainfall events primarily occur in July, with increases in both intensity and frequency during the study period. Influenced by human activities, natural conditions, and environmental policies, SWQ parameters in Hangzhou exhibit notable spatiotemporal variability. Correlation analyses reveal significant positive relationships between TP, TN, and turbidity in most areas with REIs. However, the correlations between pH, WT, and turbidity with REIs differ between the eastern and western regions, resulting from variations in land use. These findings will provide a theoretical basis for developing models to predict changes in SWQ based on REIs, contributing to the safeguarding of surface water quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality)

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29 pages, 6534 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Assessment of Water Quality and Pollutant Source Apportionment Using APCS-MLR and PMF Models in the Upper Reaches of the Tarim River

by Shengnan Zhang, Shan Wang, Fayong Li, Songjiang Liu, Yongjun You and Chong Liu

Water 2024, 16(21), 3061; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16213061 - 25 Oct 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1230

Abstract

To evaluate the pollution sources and dynamics of the upper reaches of the Tarim River, 10 typical sampling points were selected, and 23 water quality parameters from 2020 to 2022 were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, the comprehensive Water Quality Identification Index (WQI), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The pollution status, sources, and contribution rates of water quality were investigated using the Absolute Principal Component-Multiple Linear Regression Model (APCS-MLR) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). The results indicated that the water quality parameters of dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), biochemical oxygen demand after 5 days (BOD₅), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), fluoride ions (F⁻), and ammonia-nitrogen (NH₃-N) in the upper reaches of the Tarim River exceed standards, with noticeable spatial variations observed for each parameter. The water quality evaluation grades in the upper reaches of Tarim River primarily indicate “moderate” and “good” levels, with DO, TN, NH₃-N, and electrical conductivity (EC) being the key parameters influencing variations in water quality. The source analysis results from APCS-MLR and PMF yielded similar outcomes, identifying six potential pollution sources. Among these, soil weathering, livestock and poultry breeding, and agricultural activities exhibited higher contribution rates. Specifically, the contribution rates for these sources according to APCS-MLR were 44.11%, 19.63%, and 11.67%, respectively; while according to PMF they are 24.08%, 17.88%, and 27.54%, respectively. Furthermore, industrial pollution sources contributed at a rate of 6.01% according to APCS-MLR, while urban living sources contributed at a rate of 2.13%. However, based on PMF analysis, the contribution rates for industrial pollution sources increased significantly to 16.71%. Additionally, APCS-MLR identified natural sources as contributing at a rate of 16.45%, whereas PMF suggested that a combination of agricultural activities and natural sources contributed at a lower rate of only 9.52%. In conclusion, the water quality within the upper reaches of the Tarim River is predominantly satisfactory. Nonetheless, localized pollution, primarily attributable to human activities, presents a substantial challenge. These observations provide critical insights into improving and protecting the fragile water quality of the Tarim River. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality)

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20 pages, 11408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Warning of Sudden Water Pollution Accident Risks Based on Water Quality Models in the Three Gorges Dam Area

by Na Zhao, Yonggui Wang, Jun Yang, Ruikai Chen, Xiaoyu Wang and Yinqun Yang

Water 2024, 16(18), 2679; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16182679 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1673

Abstract

In recent years, sudden water pollution accidents have frequently occurred and seriously endangered people’s drinking water safety. Early warnings for water pollution accidents has become the core work for emergency response and sparked substantial research. However, risk assessments for different water receptors still needs to be solved for the early warning of water pollution accidents. This paper proposes a new early warning assessment method based on water quality models for different receptors, divided into the water source area (including drinking water source area and agricultural water use area) and the non-water source area. The constructed method was applied to the Three Gorges Dam area in China to simulate a phosphorus leakage accident caused by a traffic accident. Based on the EFDC model, the migration evolution process and the distribution change characteristics of phosphorus were simulated. Accordingly, the different risk levels of zones between the incident site and the downstream drinking water source area were obtained. The application results show that the risk warning system for sudden water pollution accidents based on the water quality model proposed in this paper can be applied to provide scientific support for the emergency response of sudden water pollution accidents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality)

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26 pages, 7316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drinking Water Quality in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

by Ali A. Al-Hamzah and Christopher M. Fellows

Water 2024, 16(13), 1810; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16131810 - 26 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 11805

Abstract

The production and transmission system of the Saudi Water Authority (SWA) faces a number of challenges in maintaining the high quality of potable water. Produced desalinated water is transmitted for long distances and is mixed with ground and surface waters of varying quality. The SWA is also in the process of converting from thermal desalination to seawater reverse osmosis which typically gives higher total dissolved solids, requiring better control of species with possible impacts on system integrity or human health. The results of monitoring across the desalination plants and transmission systems of the SWA in 2020–2022 confirm an overall high quality of water, with levels of disinfection by-products and heavy metals low in comparison to public water supplies in high-income countries dependent on surface and groundwater rather than seawater desalination. The results also indicate that continued operational improvements are required with the transition from thermal desalination technologies to reverse osmosis in order to maintain chloride at a level to avoid corrosion in the distribution system and to maintain boron and bromate within acceptable regulatory limits. Significant improvement in bromate control was observed over the course of the study, and recent innovations in post-treatment suggest that this will improve further. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial–Temporal Variation and Risk Assessment of Water Quality)

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