Investigations about Nitrate Monitoring, Turnover and Simulation on the Catchment Scale

Nitrate pollution of groundwater and surface water is an environmental problem of high relevance for the management of river basins. The quantitative analysis of fluxes of nutrients is still difficult, because there is a lack of data about nutrient application on the agricultural fields and also about continuous inflow from waste water treatment. Thus, hydrological models are calibrated under considerable uncertainty. A sampling campaign was conducted at Peine gauging station in the Fuhse river from 2014, where weekly water quality and stable isotope (O, H) analysis was made. N isoptope analysis was done in sampling campaign over the whole Fuhse catchment in order to find patterns in the origin of Nitrogene. The simulation of hydrology and transport of Nitrogene within the Fuhse catchment was done with special attention to the flow paths of Nitrate from point and non-point sources.

In collaboration with:

• Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR, Dr. G. Houben, Dr. P. Königer)