Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki, 852-8521, Japan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016 Nov;23(22):23249-23261. doi: 10.1007/s11356-016-7522-3. Epub 2016 Sep 8.
Groundwater nitrate pollution is one of the most prevalent water-related environmental problems worldwide. The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of nitrogen pollutant changes with a focus on the nitrogen generation process. The novelty of our research framework is to cost-effectively identify the factors involved in nitrogen pollutant generation using public data. This study focuses on three determinant factors: (1) nitrogen intensity changes, (2) structural changes, and (3) scale changes. This study empirically analyses three sectors, including crop production, farm animals, and the household, on the Shimabara Peninsula in Japan. Our results show that the nitrogen supply from crop production sectors has decreased because the production has been scaled down and shifted towards lower nitrogen intensive crops. In the farm animal sector, the nitrogen supply has also been successfully reduced due to scaling-down efforts. Households have decreased the nitrogen supply by diffusion of integrated septic tank and sewerage systems.
地下水硝酸盐污染是全球最普遍的与水有关的环境问题之一。本研究的目的是确定氮污染物变化的决定因素，重点是氮生成过程。我们研究框架的新颖之处在于使用公共数据来经济有效地确定氮污染物生成所涉及的因素。本研究集中于三个决定因素：（1）氮强度变化，（2）结构变化，（3）规模变化。本研究在日本岛原半岛的三个部门（包括作物生产、农场动物和家庭）进行实证分析。研究结果表明，由于生产规模缩小和转向低氮密集型作物，来自作物生产部门的氮供应已经减少。在农场动物部门，由于规模缩小的努力，氮的供应也得到了成功减少。家庭通过扩散综合化粪池和污水系统来减少氮的供应。
