Mass Flux Modelling
The upper Tamar catchment in Devon / Cornwall has been subject to marked intensification of agriculture and livestock farming. In the absence of any other non-agricultural point and diffuse nutrient sources, APEM identified the nutrient pathways driving eutrophication of this area. APEM made use of historical water quality and river discharge data from the catchment to derive a mass flux model. This model was used to demonstrate the various nutrient loads present within the Tamar catchment and identify areas with particularly severe eutrophication. It was also used to show the influence the reservoirs in the catchment have on eutrophication by comparing nutrient loads up and downstream.
