{"title":"Spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff dynamics across different timescales","authors":"Di Chang , Shuo Li , Zhengqing Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108995","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study contributes to bridging the gaps in heterogeneous spatiotemporal effects of rainfall-runoff dynamics on nutrient loss. The specific aim was to reveal the spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff variations across different timescales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was constructed to achieve distributed simulations of runoff and nutrient loss. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized streamflow index (SSI) were calculated to capture rainfall-runoff dynamics across different timescales. Spatiotemporal response pattern was explored by integrating the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression, Cross Wavelet Transform, and the global spatial autocorrelation. Overall, the findings highlighted obvious spatial heterogeneity and temporal non-stationary of rainfall-runoff effects on nutrient loss. Their correlation shifts along spatiotemporal trajectories rather than constant. From 1990 to 2020, around 60% of sub-watersheds showed decreased trends in TN loss, while 56% experienced increases in TP loss. Spatial heterogeneity in SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss increased with time. Relationships between SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss demonstrated periodic fluctuation. The overall spatiotemporal relations of TN/TP loss with SPI/SSI were generally higher at 3-month timescale, demonstrating nutrient loss is more influenced by the cumulative effects of rainfall-runoff from current month and the two preceding months. Of which, rainfall has stronger effect on nutrient loss than runoff. Cumulative rainfall from May to October primarily influenced annual nutrient loss. The response period of TN loss to runoff lagged behind rainfall, and the response period of TP loss to runoff was longer than TN. Increased rainfall variability intensified spatial heterogeneity in nutrient loss, with a higher effect on TN compared to TP. This study improves the understanding on spatiotemporal relation of rainfall-runoff and nutrient loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108995"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Catena","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816225002978","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff dynamics across different timescales
This study contributes to bridging the gaps in heterogeneous spatiotemporal effects of rainfall-runoff dynamics on nutrient loss. The specific aim was to reveal the spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff variations across different timescales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was constructed to achieve distributed simulations of runoff and nutrient loss. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized streamflow index (SSI) were calculated to capture rainfall-runoff dynamics across different timescales. Spatiotemporal response pattern was explored by integrating the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression, Cross Wavelet Transform, and the global spatial autocorrelation. Overall, the findings highlighted obvious spatial heterogeneity and temporal non-stationary of rainfall-runoff effects on nutrient loss. Their correlation shifts along spatiotemporal trajectories rather than constant. From 1990 to 2020, around 60% of sub-watersheds showed decreased trends in TN loss, while 56% experienced increases in TP loss. Spatial heterogeneity in SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss increased with time. Relationships between SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss demonstrated periodic fluctuation. The overall spatiotemporal relations of TN/TP loss with SPI/SSI were generally higher at 3-month timescale, demonstrating nutrient loss is more influenced by the cumulative effects of rainfall-runoff from current month and the two preceding months. Of which, rainfall has stronger effect on nutrient loss than runoff. Cumulative rainfall from May to October primarily influenced annual nutrient loss. The response period of TN loss to runoff lagged behind rainfall, and the response period of TP loss to runoff was longer than TN. Increased rainfall variability intensified spatial heterogeneity in nutrient loss, with a higher effect on TN compared to TP. This study improves the understanding on spatiotemporal relation of rainfall-runoff and nutrient loss.
期刊介绍:
Catena publishes papers describing original field and laboratory investigations and reviews on geoecology and landscape evolution with emphasis on interdisciplinary aspects of soil science, hydrology and geomorphology. It aims to disseminate new knowledge and foster better understanding of the physical environment, of evolutionary sequences that have resulted in past and current landscapes, and of the natural processes that are likely to determine the fate of our terrestrial environment.
Papers within any one of the above topics are welcome provided they are of sufficiently wide interest and relevance.