Characterising phosphorus transfers in rural catchments using a continuous bank-side analyser

Abstract

A six-month series of high-resolution synchronous stream discharge and total phosphorus (TP) concentration data is presented from a 5 km 2 agricultural catchment in the Lough Neagh basin, Northern Ireland. The data are hourly averages of 10-minute measurements using a new bankside, automatic, continuous monitoring technology. Three TP transfer event-types occur in this catchment: (1) chronic, storm independent transfers; (2) acute, storm dependent transfers; (3) acute, storm independent transfers. Event-type 2 transferred over 90% of the total 279 kg TP load in 39% of the total period; it corresponded to diffuse transfers from agricultural soils. Event-types 1 and 3, however, maintained the river in a highly eutrophic state between storm events and were characteristic of point source pollution, despite there being no major industrial or municipal point sources. Managing P transfers at the catchment scale requires a robust monitoring technology to differentiate between dynamic, multiple sources and associated event types and so enable a reliable assessment of the performance of mitigation measures, monitored at catchment outlets. The synchronous and continuous TP and discharge data series generated in this study demonstrate how this is possible.

Changing climate and nutrient transfers: Evidence from high temporal resolution concentration-flow dynamics in headwater catchments

“…Jordan et al, 2007). Although there were several Type 3 events in each catchment (11 in Newby Beck, 28 in Pow Beck), these tended to be short in duration and because discharge was not high, the load transferred during these events was negligible.…”

A review of phosphorus and sediment release from Irish tillage soils, the methods used to quantify losses and the current state of mitigation practice

“…Until now, the majority of research in Ireland has focused on quantifying nutrient and, to a lesser extent, sediment losses from permanent grassland at laboratory- (Doody et al 2006;Murphy 2007;Murphy and Stevens 2010), plot/field- (Tunney et al 2007;Kurz et al 2000;Douglas et al 2007) and catchment-scales (Smith et al 1995;Scanlon et al 2004;Jordan et al 2005a;2005b;Smith et al 2005;Jordan et al 2007). Modelling of diffuse P loss from grassland catchments has also been undertaken by Jordan et al (2000), Daly et al (2002), Scanlon et al (2005) and Nasr et al (2007), with the aim of improving management strategies to minimise P loss.…”

Development and Deployment of a Microfluidic Platform for Water Quality Monitoring

“…While the current limit of detection of approximately 0.2 mg L -1 PO 4 3-represents a limitation on the applicability of the system, it can be expected to find significant applications in the monitoring of in-process and discharged effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants, industry and other point sources of phosphate, as well as in the monitoring of surface waters known to be impacted by phosphate pollution. Moreover, Jordan and co-workers [39,40] have shown the importance of high temporal resolution monitoring for the detection of short-term, high-phosphorus concentration inputs to catchments that typically have low background levels of phosphorus. Detection of this kind of short-lived pollution event can be crucial to understanding the overall nutrient dynamics within a water body, and can only be reliably achieved using in-situ analytical devices.…”