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Conference paper2007

Application of the ICECREAMDB model to quantify phosphorus losses from Sweden

Larsson, Martin; Lindsjö, Anders; Persson, Kristian; Johansson, Göran; Johnsson, Holger

Abstract

Because of the adverse effects of eutrophication, it is necessary to reduce phosphorus (P) losses to the Baltic Sea and a cost effective way is to estimate the contribution of different sources. Since agriculture is the single largest source in many areas, it is critical to quantify P losses from arable land. A new method for calculating P losses from arable land in Sweden was developed based on the dynamic simulation model ICECREAMDB. The ICECREAMDB is a shell program around the simulation model ICECREAM developed to fit into the nutrient leaching coefficient calculations applied for the Swedish national calculations of N, containing file structures for model input data at this scale. Simulations with ICECREAMDB were performed for Sweden, which was divided into 22 climate production regions. The climate-normalized P loss concentrations for 2005 were calculated for each regions based on a matrix with separate data for 15 crop classes, 10 soil texture classes, three soil P classes and three slope classes, resulting in a matrix of 29700 specific P loss concentrations. Model evaluations were compared with measured concentrations from the 13 agricultural observation fields included in the national program for monitoring nutrient loads from arable land. These fields were tile-drained, integrate losses by surface runoff and via leaching through the soil profile, and cover a wide range of Swedish agro-environmental conditions. The relatively good match between measured and simulation concentrations indicates that the model can be a useful tool for analysing P losses at the regional and national scales. To improve calculations, further testing and improvement of the parameterization is needed

Published in

Title: Heckrath, G.; Rubak, G. H.; Kronvang, B. (eds.) Diffuse phosphorus loss: risk assessment, mitigation options and ecological effects in river basins
ISBN: 87-91949-20-3

Conference

The 5th International Phosphorus Workshop (IPW5)