MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF NUTRIENT LOADING FROM SMALL CATCHMENTS OF THE VISTULA LAGOON

Abstract

Vistula Lagoon as a part of the coastal zone translates nutrient load from catchment to the Baltic Sea. Catchments of the Primorskaya River (small settlements, mostly agricultural area, 120 km2) and Banówka-Mamonovka River (transboundary catchment between Russia and Poland, relatively big settlements, food production enterprises, agricultural activity, 490 km2) were selected as test ones for the Vistula Lagoon catchment (23 870 km2). Assessment of the retention of total nitrogen and phosphorus in the catchment and the transformation of nutrient load from anthropogenic sources while passing the catchment were studied by using open source numerical modeling tools. Initial data comprises the geomorphic characteristics, river net data, information on land use and nutrient point sources, time series of temperature, precipitation. Runoff was simulated by hydrological model HYPE considering the evaporation and infiltration into the soil. Retention and transport of nutrients were accessed using the model FyrisNP. Source apportionment was made for the nutrient load discharging from both catchments to the Vistula Lagoon. The greatest amount of nutrients in final discharge is coming from the arable land (50-80%), point sources constitute a smaller proportion (5-30%). The results will be used to obtain the first order approximation of the nutrient load from other small rivers of the Vistula Lagoon catchment and from the biggest river in the area, the Pregolya River (15 300 km2) by analogy.