Spatiotemporal modeling of nutrient retention in a tropical semi-arid basin

Abstract

The Sokoto-Rima basin defines the natural and socioeconomic lifeblood of northwestern Nigeria. Its agrarian nature is an indication of significant dependence on the supply of ecosystem services from its various rivers, streams, and wetlands. However, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) constitute a great portion of chemical fertilizers used to enhance crop yields and poor management of these portend great threats for water quality. The overarching objective of this study was to examine the extent of spatial variation of nutrient dynamics in the Sokoto-Rima basin between 1992 and 2015 using the nutrient delivery ratio (NDR) model of InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Service and Tradeoffs) software. Land use/landcover, precipitation, digital elevation, and biophysical variables were the principal datasets employed as model input. The result of the study showed that the surficial N load is almost 15-fold of P in the Sokoto-Rima basin. Over the period of study, cultivated areas and rivers were spatially detected as nutrient sources and sinks respectively. The subsurface nutrient load is dominated by P while the amount of N load is insignificant. The trend of nutrient export is linearly defined: with 0.87% and 1.7% increase in N and P export respectively during 1992-2015. N and P exports vary spatially with a north-south increase-decrease index. Critical length and threshold are highly sensitive to changes in the parameterization of the NDR model. Thus, synergistic cultivation practices such as agroforestry should be extended to existing crop cultivation complexes to curtail nutrient enrichment in the Sokoto-Rima basin and ensure environmental sustainability.

Suitable Land-Use and Land-Cover Allocation Scenarios to Minimize Sediment and Nutrient Loads into Kwan Phayao, Upper Ing Watershed, Thailand

“…Furthermore, agriculture was the leading cause of nutrient release in the watershed under the different LULC scenarios. These findings are similar to those of [78], who found that cropland and agroforestry influenced roughly 90% of the nutrients exported, while water bodies were identified as sinks.…”

Quantifying ecosystem service interactions to support environmental restoration in a tropical semi-arid basin

“…The Sokoto-Rima basin is of West African importance with divergent management systems across its watershed countries yet similar cultural linkages. As shown in the nutrient flow study by Raji et al (2020b), nutrient dispersal at the upstream locations leads to hydrological enrichments downstream with traces of eutrophication. To address such, resource managers need to engage spatial tools such as the InVEST suite to properly monitor spatial variations across watersheds regarding flow and dynamics of nutrients, water yield, carbon fluxes, crop production complexes and productivity.…”