Point and Diffuse Nutrient Emissions and Transports in the Odra Basin and its Main Tributaries

Abstract

The river Odra is one of the biggest transboundary rivers in Central Europe. The basin is characterized by an area of 110074 km 2 (upstream Krajnik Dolny) and a population of about 15.5 million inhabitants. Compared with the Westeuropean river basins the specific runoff of the Odra basin is low and amounts only 4.5 L km 2 s -1 . The long term changes of the average annual nutrient transport of the Odra at Krajnik Dolny show for the period 1991 to 1994 a low reduction for phosphorus but no changes for nitrogen. For the period of 1991 to 1994 an inventory of the point sources produces emissions of 10.7 kt a -1 P and 54.4 kt a -1 N upstream of the station Krajnik Dolny/Schwedt. Emissions from agricultural land and urban areas represent the main diffuse sources. A range of 68 to 96 kt a -1 N and 3.3 to 3.9 kt a -1 P were estimated for the total diffuse emissions depending on the database and the method of modeling. The emission situation of the river is characterized by a high dominance of point sources in the case of phosphorus (about 73 %). For nitrogen the diffuse emissions dominate the total emissions to an amount between 59 and 67 %. Compared to the emissions the nutrient transport is low. An average load of 5. 1 kt a -1 P and 70.1 kt a -1 N was observed at the station Krajnik Dolny for the period 1991 to 1994. The emission and load situation within the main tributaries of the river Odra is comparable to the whole basin. The big difference between the total emissions and the observed load refers to intensive retention and loss processes within the river system of the Odra.