Whitehead, P.G and Heathwaite, A.L and Flynn, N.J and Wade, A.J and Quinn, P.F (2007) Evaluating the risk of non-point source pollution from biosolids: integrated modelling of nutrient losses at field and catchment scales. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.

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Abstract

A semi-distributed mode!, INCA, has been developed to determine tbe fate and distribution ofnutrients in terrestrial and aquatic systems. The mode!simulates nitrogen and phosphorus processes in soils, groundwaters and river systems and can be applied in a semi-distributed manner at a range of scales. In tbis study, tbe mode!has been applied at field to sub-catchment to whole catchment sc ale to evaluate tbe behaviour of biosolid-derived !osses ofP in agricultural systems. It is shawn tbat process-based models such as INCA, applied at a wide range of scales, reproduce field and catchment behaviour satisfactorily. The INCAmodel can also be used to generate generic information for risk assessment. By adjusting three key variables: biosolid application rates, tbe hydrological connectivity oftbe catchment and tbe initial P-status of the soils witbin tbe mode!, a matrix ofP loss rates can be generated to evaluate the behaviour oftbe mo del and, hence, oftbe catchment system. The results, which indicate tbe sensitivity oftbe catchment to flow patbs, to application rates and to initial soi!conditions, have been incorporated into a Nutrient Export Risk Matrix (NERM).

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