A meta-analysis and statistical modelling of nitrates in groundwater at the African scale

Autor: I. Ouedraogo, M. Vanclooster
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol 20, Iss 6, Pp 2353-2381 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1027-5606
1607-7938
DOI: 10.5194/hess-20-2353-2016
Popis: Contamination of groundwater with nitrate poses a major health risk to millions of people around Africa. Assessing the space–time distribution of this contamination, as well as understanding the factors that explain this contamination, is important for managing sustainable drinking water at the regional scale. This study aims to assess the variables that contribute to nitrate pollution in groundwater at the African scale by statistical modelling. We compiled a literature database of nitrate concentration in groundwater (around 250 studies) and combined it with digital maps of physical attributes such as soil, geology, climate, hydrogeology, and anthropogenic data for statistical model development. The maximum, medium, and minimum observed nitrate concentrations were analysed. In total, 13 explanatory variables were screened to explain observed nitrate pollution in groundwater. For the mean nitrate concentration, four variables are retained in the statistical explanatory model: (1) depth to groundwater (shallow groundwater, typically
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals