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Project title

Eutrophication from Agriculture Sources (Phosphorus and Nitrogen) - Modelling P Losses from Soils

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Teagasc

Lead Applicant

Kim Reilly

Project Abstract

This project has targeted one of the WFD objectives which focuses on modelling non-point phosphorus loss from rural catchments. It focuses on physically-based catchment scale models which to date have not been applied to model phosphorus losses in Ireland. In the work three very different catchment models range from semi-empirical to fully physically-based distributed models have been selected to compare their performances in quantifying phosphorus loss from three different rural catchments (Clarianna Dripsey and Oona). The models were selected to be (a) representative of different degree of physical and spatial complexity and (b) readily available. The models are Soil Water and Analysis Tools (SWAT) Hydrological Simulation Program i FORTRAN (HSPF) and Systime Hydrologique Europien TRAnsport (SHETRAN). The SHETRAN model is the most complex of the three but does not have a phosphorus modelling component. Because of this a special phosphorus module was developed as part of this project. The phosphorus component was designed in a generic way so that it can be used with any physically-based distributed hydrological model. Because the modelled catchment should be represented on an orthogonal grid the phosphorus component was named the Grid Oriented Phosphorus Component (GOPC) by the authors.As part of the model calibration process for each catchment (Clarianna Dripsey and Oona) the influence of the most effective parameters on the three models outputs (including the developed phosphorus component) was examined. This information is useful in providing guidelines for using the models in the Irish conditions.

Grant Approved

�123,697.88

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Improve our Knowledge on the State of our Water Resources and Pressures

Start Date

01/11/2000

Initial Projected Completion Date

n/a