Seasonal and Long-term Changes of the Nutrients in the Middle-reach of the Yahagi River, Central Japan

The environmental quality of the middle-reach of the Yahagi River has deteriorated in recent years. The nutrient dynamics within the reach were investigated to explain the changes. Seasonal pattern of $NO_3\;^--N$ concentration tended to stay low from April or May through July or August and then increased till winter or early spring, although there were peaks during high flow periods in mid-September, 2000 and late-August, 2001. No clear seasonal changes were observed in $PO_4\;^{3-}-P$ concentration. In the bimonthly records from 1980-2002, the DIN concentrations on January and March were higher than other months whereas the average daily flows on January and March were lower than they were in other months. The mean DIN concentration showed a high negative correlation with the median of average daily flow. In the past 50 years, the average concentration of DIN (excluding nitrite) was 0.21 mg $L^{-1}$ in 1952-1953. The concentration was about twice this high around 1980, and it is about three times this high at present. On the other hand, the average concentration of $PO_4\;^{3-}-P$ was below the limit of detection in 1952-53. However, it increased to almost 0.03 mg $L^{-1}$ around 1980, then decreased to approximately 0.016mg $L^{-1}$ at present. Our results suggest that the increasing DIN concentration is one of the causes of environmental change in the Yahagi River. We conclude that controlling the DIN concentration is essential for improving the river environment.