Particulate phosphorus and suspended solids losses from small agricultural catchments: Links to stream and catchment characteristics

• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134616
• Publication Date: 2019-11-23T01:08:25Z
• Authors: Sara Sandström; Martyn N. Futter; Katarina Kyllmar; Kevin Bishop; David W. O'Connell; Faruk Djodjic
• Keywords: Agricultural streams; 550; Suspended solids; Headwaters; Environmental Sciences (social aspects to be 507); Environmental monitoring; Particulate phosphorus; Eutrophication; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 333; 6. Clean water; Geochemistry; 13. Climate action; Smart & Sustainable Planet; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Excessive phosphorus (P) inputs from agriculture are well established as a contributor to freshwater eutrophication. Decreasing these is an important step in improving the ecological state of impaired waters. Particulate P (PP) significant diffuse agricultural catchments. Identifying main correlates for PP losses reducing inputs. However, there few studies long term temporal and spatial dynamics streams. Here, we investigate relative importance hydrology, catchment characteristics geochemistry on concentrations fluxes headwaters. We evaluate long-term monitoring data eleven small (<35 km2) Swedish catchments with at least seven years measured flow proportional water quality sampling. Using parametric non-parametric regression together principal components analysis (PCA), identify in-stream variables relevant predicting concentrations, e.g., suspended solids (SS), soil texture average content, ammonium lactate/acetic acid extractable (P-AL). show that primarily correlated SS which turn clay content land use. SS:PP relationships differ between No correlation stream was found. An increasing decreases slope relationship PP, i.e., higher less transported per unit SS. The PP/SS ratio increased significantly (p < 0.05) over time four catchments, despite limited changes or concentrations. Our study highlights series since enrichment streams only detected when using data.