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| Titel |
Nutrient water quality of the Wye catchment, UK: exploring patterns and fluxes using the Environment Agency data archives |
| VerfasserIn |
H. P. Jarvie, C. Neal, P. J. A. Withers, A. Robinson, N. Salter |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 7, no. 5 ; Nr. 7, no. 5, S.722-743 |
| Datensatznummer |
250004792
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-7-722-2003.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Water quality data, collected by the Environment Agency in England and Wales
over 10 years (1991 – 2000) were used to examine the spatial distribution of nutrient
pollution risk and for assessing broad-scale spatial and temporal variability in nutrient
fluxes across the Wye catchment. Nutrient water quality across the upper and middle Wye
catchment, and along the main River Wye, is generally very good. However, the main areas
of concern lie in the small tributaries in the south and east of the catchment, which have
lower dilution capacity and high agricultural and effluent inputs, and where mean
Total Reactive Phosphorus (TRP) in some cases exceed 1 mg-P l-1. Indeed, mass load
calculations have demonstrated that the lowland south and east portion of the catchment
contributes more than 85% of the whole-catchment TRP and more than 78% of
nitrate (NO3‾) loads. Ratios of NO3‾:Ca were
used to fingerprint different water-types across the catchment, linked to weathering and
agricultural activity. The Wye catchment has been subject to two major sets of
perturbations during the study period: (i) climatic fluctuations, with a drought during
1995-6, followed by a subsequent drought-break in 1997/8, and extreme high river flows
in the autumn/winter of 2000/2001, and (ii) introduction of tertiary P-treatment at
major sewage treatment works in the catchment. The implications of these perturbations
for the nutrient water quality of the Wye catchment are discussed. Recommendations are
made for more targeted monitoring to directly assess diffuse source nutrient
contributions.
Keywords: nutrients, phosphate, phosphorus, nitrate, nitrogen, river, Wye,
PSYCHIC, Defra |
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