Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa
Since the 1990’s, the groundwater quality along the southern coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa has been affected by increasing land use activities. Groundwater resources have become increasingly important in terms of providing good quality water. Polluted coastal groundwater as a so...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/cass-2018-0002 |
| _version_ | 1830192238217396224 |
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| author | Malherbe Hanlie Gebel Michael Pauleit Stephan Lorz Carsten |
| author_facet | Malherbe Hanlie Gebel Michael Pauleit Stephan Lorz Carsten |
| author_sort | Malherbe Hanlie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the 1990’s, the groundwater quality along the southern coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa has been affected by increasing land use activities. Groundwater resources have become increasingly important in terms of providing good quality water. Polluted coastal groundwater as a source of submarine groundwater discharge also affects the quality of coastal water. For this study, land use activities causing groundwater pollution and areas at particular risk were identified. An assessment approach linking land use/land cover, groundwater and submarine groundwater discharge on a meso-scale was developed and the methods applied to two study regions along the southern coastal area. Dryland and irrigated crop cultivation, and urbanized areas are subject to a “high” and “very high” risk of groundwater nitrogen pollution. Application of fertilizer must be revised to ensure minimal effects on groundwater. Practice of agricultural activities at locations which are not suited to the environment’s physical conditions must be reconsidered. Informal urban development may contribute to groundwater nitrogen pollution due to poor waste water disposal. Groundwater monitoring in areas at risk of nitrogen pollution is recommended. Land use activities in the submarine groundwater discharge contribution areas was not found to have major effects on coastal water. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:53:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a2e97a4a4ddc4981abe1d03ff286a39c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-3669 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:53:02Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-a2e97a4a4ddc4981abe1d03ff286a39c2022-12-21T21:28:09ZengDe GruyterChange and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems2300-36692018-12-014172010.1515/cass-2018-0002cass-2018-0002Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South AfricaMalherbe Hanlie0Gebel Michael1Pauleit Stephan2Lorz Carsten3TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Emil- Ramann Str. 6, 85354 Freising, Germany & HSWT University of Applied Sciences, Hans-Carl-von Carlowitz-Platz 3,Freising, GermanyGesellschaft für Angewandte Landschaftsforschung (GALF) bR, Am Ende 14, 01277Dresden, GermanyTUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6,Freising, GermanyHSWT University of Applied Sciences, Hans-Carl-von- Carlowitz-Platz 3,Freising, GermanySince the 1990’s, the groundwater quality along the southern coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa has been affected by increasing land use activities. Groundwater resources have become increasingly important in terms of providing good quality water. Polluted coastal groundwater as a source of submarine groundwater discharge also affects the quality of coastal water. For this study, land use activities causing groundwater pollution and areas at particular risk were identified. An assessment approach linking land use/land cover, groundwater and submarine groundwater discharge on a meso-scale was developed and the methods applied to two study regions along the southern coastal area. Dryland and irrigated crop cultivation, and urbanized areas are subject to a “high” and “very high” risk of groundwater nitrogen pollution. Application of fertilizer must be revised to ensure minimal effects on groundwater. Practice of agricultural activities at locations which are not suited to the environment’s physical conditions must be reconsidered. Informal urban development may contribute to groundwater nitrogen pollution due to poor waste water disposal. Groundwater monitoring in areas at risk of nitrogen pollution is recommended. Land use activities in the submarine groundwater discharge contribution areas was not found to have major effects on coastal water.https://doi.org/10.1515/cass-2018-0002land use/land covernitrogengroundwaterdrasticsubmarine groundwater discharge |
| spellingShingle | Malherbe Hanlie Gebel Michael Pauleit Stephan Lorz Carsten Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems land use/land cover nitrogen groundwater drastic submarine groundwater discharge |
| title | Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa |
| title_full | Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa |
| title_short | Land Use Pollution Potential of Water Sources Along the Southern Coast of South Africa |
| title_sort | land use pollution potential of water sources along the southern coast of south africa |
| topic | land use/land cover nitrogen groundwater drastic submarine groundwater discharge |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/cass-2018-0002 |
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