Journal of the Korean earth science society (한국지구과학회지)

The Korean Earth Science Society (한국지구과학회)
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Hydrochemical Characteristics and Nitrate-Nitrogen Contamination in Shallow Groundwater in Two Agricultural areas in Korea

  • Sul-Min Yun (BK21 School of Earth and Environmental Systems, Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University) ;
  • Hang-Tak Jeon (Geoscience Co.) ;
  • Ji-Min Hwang (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University) ;
  • MoonSu Kim (Soil and Groundwater Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research) ;
  • HyunKoo Kim (Soil and Groundwater Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research) ;
  • Se-Yeong Hamm (Geoscience Co.)
  • Received : 2023.08.05
  • Accepted : 2023.08.22
  • Published : 2023.08.31
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Abstract

Shallow groundwater in rural areas is primarily polluted by agricultural activities. Nitrate-nitrogen is an indicator of artificial pollution. In this study, the hydrochemical characteristics and nitrate-nitrogen pollution of shallow groundwater were examined in two agricultural villages (Hyogyo-ri and Sinan-ri) in Chungcheongnam-do Province, Korea. Physicochemical quality analysis of shallow groundwater and stream water in the field, and chemical analysis in the laboratory were conducted from July 2020 to October 2021. In Hygyo-ri and Sinan-ri villages, shallow groundwater mainly belonged to the Ca-Cl, Ca-H CO3, Na-HCO3, and Na-Cl types, whereas stream water predominantly belonged to the Ca-HCO3 type. The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in shallow groundwater varied depending on the season, displaying an increased concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in the dry season compared to the rainy season. Stream water may be influenced by runoff into villages from the surrounding area, although both shallow groundwater and stream water are affected by artificial pollution. In addition, the nitrate-nitrogen concentration in stream water was lower than that in shallow groundwater.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by the National Institute of Environment Research (NIER), funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Korea (NIER2020-04-02-052), as well as National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under the Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2020R1A2B5B02002198).

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