Predicting Nutrient Loads in Chosen Catchment

Abstract

In recent years, the impact of water erosion coming mainly from agricultural land on surface water quality has attracted a large amount of attention in Europe. The eroded soil itself and the adsorbed chemicals in it are regarded as non-point source pollution that leads to water quality degradation. The major source of chemicals is the result of increasing application of chemical nutrients and pesticides in excess amounts in order to maximize crop production. Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, along with higher sediment loads, are the leading contributors to reduced water quality. Nitrogen and phosphorus move from fields to surface water when sediment is transported through runoff and soil erosion. As a result of the nitrogenand phosphorusenriched sediments, eutrophication the growth of algae and other aquatic plants occurs, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels. The valuable tools for assessment of the behavior of chemicals in the environment are simulation models. Soil erosion models can simulate erosion processes in the watershed and may be able to take into account many of the complex interactions that affect rates of erosion. This contribution is focused on the suggestion of the model for predicting the total nitrogen and phosphorus content in the Tisovec river catchment, which is situated in the east of Slovakia.