| Title: | Identifying efficient nitrate reduction strategies in the Upper Danube |
| Authors: | Udias, A., A. Malagò, M. Pastori, O. Vigiak, A. Reynaud, F.J. Elorza and F. Bouraoui |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Journal: | Water |
| Volume (Issue): | 8(9) |
| Pages: | |
| Article ID: | 371 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/w8090371 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic and pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | BMP and/or cropping system assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | nitrogen cycling/loss and transport |
| Watershed Description: | 132,000 km^2 Upper Danube River, which drains portions of Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Nitrogen losses in the form of Nitrate (N-NO3) from point and diffuse sources of pollution are recognized to be the leading cause of water body impairment throughout Europe. Implementation of conservation programs is perceived as being crucial for restoring and protecting the good ecological status of freshwater bodies. The success of conservation programs depends on the efficient identification of management solutions with respect to the envisaged environmental and economic objectives. This is a complex task, especially considering that costs and effectiveness of conservation strategies depend on their locations. We applied a multi-objective, spatially explicit analysis tool, the R-SWAT-DM framework, to search for efficient, spatially-targeted solution of Nitrate abatement in the Upper Danube Basin. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model served as the nonpoint source pollution estimator for current conditions as well as for scenarios with modified agricultural practices and waste water treatment upgrading. A spatially explicit optimization analysis that considered point and diffuse sources of Nitrate was performed to search for strategies that could achieve largest pollution abatement at minimum cost. The set of optimal spatial conservation strategies identified in the Basin indicated that it could be possible to reduce Nitrate loads by more than 50% while simultaneously provide a higher income. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Best Management Practices (BMP); SWAT; multi-objective optimization; point and diffuse sources pollution; nutrients reduction |