Subannual models for catchment management: Evaluating model performance on three European catchments

Silgram, M; Schoumans, OF; Walvoort, DJJ; Anthony, SG; Groenendijk, P; Stromqvist, J; Bouraoui, F; Arheimer, B; Kapetanaki, M; Lo Porto, A; Martensson, K

dc.contributor.author	Silgram, M	en
dc.contributor.author	Schoumans, OF	en
dc.contributor.author	Walvoort, DJJ	en
dc.contributor.author	Anthony, SG	en
dc.contributor.author	Groenendijk, P	en
dc.contributor.author	Stromqvist, J	en
dc.contributor.author	Bouraoui, F	en
dc.contributor.author	Arheimer, B	en
dc.contributor.author	Kapetanaki, M	en
dc.contributor.author	Lo Porto, A	en
dc.contributor.author	Martensson, K	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-01T01:58:49Z
dc.date.available	2014-03-01T01:58:49Z
dc.date.issued	2009	en
dc.identifier.issn	14640325	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/28744
dc.subject.other	nitrogen	en
dc.subject.other	phosphorus	en
dc.subject.other	article	en
dc.subject.other	catchment	en
dc.subject.other	concentration (parameters)	en
dc.subject.other	conceptual framework	en
dc.subject.other	controlled study	en
dc.subject.other	Italy	en
dc.subject.other	lake	en
dc.subject.other	Norway	en
dc.subject.other	nutrient concentration	en
dc.subject.other	nutrient content	en
dc.subject.other	performance	en
dc.subject.other	priority journal	en
dc.subject.other	process model	en
dc.subject.other	United Kingdom	en
dc.subject.other	water analysis	en
dc.subject.other	water flow	en
dc.subject.other	Conservation of Natural Resources	en
dc.subject.other	Environmental Monitoring	en
dc.subject.other	Europe	en
dc.subject.other	Models, Theoretical	en
dc.subject.other	Rivers	en
dc.subject.other	Time Factors	en
dc.subject.other	Water Movements	en
dc.subject.other	Water Pollutants, Chemical	en
dc.subject.other	Water Pollution, Chemical	en
dc.title	Subannual models for catchment management: Evaluating model performance on three European catchments	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.1039/b823250d	en
heal.identifier.secondary	http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b823250d	en
heal.publicationDate	2009	en
heal.abstract	Models' abilities to predict nutrient losses at subannual timesteps is highly significant for evaluating policy measures, as it enables trends and the frequency of exceedance of water quality thresholds to be predicted. Subannual predictions also permit assessments of seasonality in nutrient concentrations, which are necessary to determine susceptibility to eutrophic conditions and the impact of management practices on water quality. Predictions of subannual concentrations are pertinent to EC Directives, whereas load estimates are relevant to the 50% target reduction in nutrient loading to the maritime area under OSPAR. This article considers the ability of four models (ranging from conceptual to fully mechanistic), to predict river flows, concentrations and loads of nitrogen and phosphorus on a subannual basis in catchments in Norway, England, and Italy. Results demonstrate that model performance deemed satisfactory on an annual basis may conceal considerable divergence in performance when scrutinised on a weekly or monthly basis. In most cases the four models performed satisfactorily, and mismatches between measurements and model predictions were primarily ascribed to the limitations in input data (soils in the Norwegian catchment; weather in the Italian catchment). However, results identified limitations in model conceptualisation associated with the damping and lagging effect of a large lake leading to contrasts in model performance upstream and downstream of this feature in the Norwegian catchment. For SWAT applied to the Norwegian catchment, although flow predictions were reasonable, the large number of parameters requiring identification, and the lack of familiarity with this environment, led to poor predictions of river nutrient concentrations. © 2009 The Royal Society of Chemistry.	en
heal.journalName	Journal of Environmental Monitoring	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1039/b823250d	en
dc.identifier.volume	11	en
dc.identifier.issue	3	en
dc.identifier.spage	526	en
dc.identifier.epage	539	en