Exploring the Role of Weather and Forest Management on Nutrient Export in Boreal Forested Catchments Using Spatially Distributed Model

Abstract

Weather-driven hydrological variability and forest management influence the nutrient export from terrestrial to aquatic systems. We quantified the effect and range of variation in total nitrogen and phosphorus export in Vehka-Kuonanjärvi catchment located in southeastern Finland. A distributed model NutSpaFHy was used with varying weather scenarios (compiled from observed extreme years of dry, wet and wet & mild) and forest management scenarios (including no additional management and intensive clear-cutting of all mature stands in the existing forest structure). Nutrient exports by scenario combinations were compared to modeled baseline export in observed weather. The results showed that the increase in nutrient export by wet & mild weather (over 55%) exceeded the increase caused by the clear-cutting scenario (23 %). Dry weather decreased the exports to tenth of the baseline, which was per hectare 2.22 kg for N, 0.08 kg for P). The results suggest that in future maintaining a good ecological status in aquatic systems can be challenging if extreme wet years with mild winters occur more frequently. Certain catchment characteristics, e.g., deciduous tree percentage, open area percentage and site fertility, influence the export increase induced by the extreme weather. Hotspot analysis enabled identifying areas with currently high nutrient export and areas with high increase induced by the extreme weather. This helps targeting water protection efficiently.