Abstract
The objective of the present work is a spatial analysis aimed at supporting hydrological and water quality model applications in the Canale d’Aiedda basin (Puglia, Italy), a data-limited area. The basin is part of the sensitive environmental area of Taranto that requires remediation of the soil, subsoil, surface water, and groundwater. A monitoring plan was defined to record the streamflow and water quality parameters needed for calibrating and validating models, and a database archived in a GIS environment was built, which includes climatic data, soil hydraulic parameters, groundwater data, surface water quality parameters, point-source parameters, and information on agricultural practices. Based on a one-year monitoring of activities, the average annual loads of N-NO3 and P-PO4 delivered to the Mar Piccolo amounted to about 42 t year−1, and 2 t year−1, respectively. Knowledge uncertainty in monthly load estimation was found to be up to 25% for N-NO3 and 40% for P-PO4. The contributions of point sources in terms of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were estimated at 45% and 77%, respectively. This study defines a procedure for supporting modelling activities at the basin scale for data-limited regions.
Highlights
Hydrological and water quality models have been used largely in environmental studies for identifying sources of pollutants and developing scenarios in order to test environmental measures toWater 2019, 11, 267; doi:10.3390/w11020267 www.mdpi.com/journal/waterWater 2019, 11, 267 reduce pollution or mitigate climate change impacts on water resources [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The basin drains an area of approximately 408 km2, and the Canale d’Aiedda stream flows into the second inlet of the Mar Piccolo, which is an inner, semi-enclosed sea basin
When the models are used in decision-making processes, which can have significant implications for humans and the environment, detailed inputs and a clear procedure for a correct application are necessary
Summary
Hydrological and water quality models have been used largely in environmental studies for identifying sources of pollutants and developing scenarios in order to test environmental measures toWater 2019, 11, 267; doi:10.3390/w11020267 www.mdpi.com/journal/waterWater 2019, 11, 267 reduce pollution or mitigate climate change impacts on water resources [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Hydrological and water quality models have been used largely in environmental studies for identifying sources of pollutants and developing scenarios in order to test environmental measures to. Several ecohydrological models have been developed and applied around the world for simulating hydrology and water quality, including the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) [7] and the Annualized Agricultural. Models require that a large number of environmental parameters, spatial data, time series, and measurements be defined for their set up, calibration, and validation. A model’s quality depends on the use of appropriate methodologies (set up, calibration, validation) and on the possibility of verifying intermediate results [12]. Data may be derived from different sources (e.g., municipalities, environmental agencies, the River Basin Authority, the Civil Protection Service, and so forth) and may not be uniform in terms of time scale and spatial resolution [13]. It is necessary to collect and accurately cross-check available data, which should be validated and integrated with field campaigns and farmer/citizen interviews to clarify any inconsistencies in the data or to update datasets
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