Nitrate and Phosphorus Transport in a Galician River (NW Iberian Peninsula)Insights From Fourteen Years of Monitoring

  1. María Luz Rodríguez-Blanco 1
  2. María Mercedes Taboada-Castro 2
  3. María Teresa Taboada-Castro 3
  1. 1 Universidade de Vigo
    info

    Universidade de Vigo

    Vigo, España

    ROR https://ror.org/05rdf8595

  2. 2 Universidad de Valladolid
    info

    Universidad de Valladolid

    Valladolid, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01fvbaw18

  3. 3 Universidade da Coruña
    info

    Universidade da Coruña

    La Coruña, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01qckj285

Revista:
Spanish Journal of Soil Science: SJSS

ISSN: 2253-6574

Ano de publicación: 2023

Volume: 13

Número: 1

Tipo: Artigo

DOI: 10.3389/SJSS.2023.11108 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso aberto editor

Outras publicacións en: Spanish Journal of Soil Science: SJSS

Resumo

The long-term development of water quality metrics is critical to estimate the status of water resources and successful catchment management. This study looks at the temporal evolution of nitrate and phosphorus loads and concentrations in a stream draining rural catchment in Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula) during 14 hydrological years. The concentrations of both nutrients are relatively low because of the rural nature of the research catchment and low-intensity agriculture. However, catchment nutrient reference levels were widely exceeded. The hydrology controls nutrient fluxes as flow is the main driver of nutrient transfer. For both nutrients there were no consistent trends in nutrient fluxes. The analysed nutrients, however, have been seen to behave differently. As a result, N seems to be decreasing, mainly due to decreased transit in the autumn and spring. Phosphorus, which is primarily transported as particulate matter, exhibits an increase in winter linked to a greater flow and sediment transfer.

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