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Nutrient flows and land use change in a rural catchment: a modelling approach

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Abstract

Due largely to unprecedented land-use changes in the Porijõgi River catchment (southern Estonia) losses of nutrients and organic matter have decreased significantly. During the period 1987–1997 abandoned lands increased from 1.7 to 10.5% and arable lands decreased from 41.8 to 23.9%. At the same time, the runoff of total-N, total-P, SO4 and organic matter (after BOD5) decreased from 25.9 to 5.1, 0.32 to 0.13, 78 to 48, and 7.4 to 3.5 kg ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The most significant decreases occurred in agricultural subcatchments while the changes were insignificant in the forested upper course catchment. A simple empirical model which incorporates land-use pattern, fertilization intensity, soil parameters and water discharge accurately described the variations of total-N and total-P runoff in both the whole catchment and its agricultural subcatchments (R 2 varies from 0.95–0.99 for N to 0.49–0.93 for P). In small agricultural subcatchments the rate of fertilization is found the most important factor for nitrogen runoff, whereas in larger mosaic watersheds land use pattern plays the main role. Seven alternative scenarios compiled on the base of the empirical model allow to forecast potential nitrogen and phosphorus losses from the catchment. This information can be used in further landscape and regional planning of the whole region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise St., 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Ülo Mander, Ain Kull & Valdo Kuusemets

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  1. Ülo Mander
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  2. Ain Kull
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Mander, Ü., Kull, A. & Kuusemets, V. Nutrient flows and land use change in a rural catchment: a modelling approach. Landscape Ecology 15, 187–199 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008181811552

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