Modelling changes in nitrogen emissions into the Oder River System 1875–1944

Studies of nutrient emissions into surface waters are usually only performed for years in recent decades. However, estimating nutrient emissions for the more distant past enables us to identify the main factors responsible for the increasing nutrient contamination since the end of the nineteenth century. We focussed on the Oder River System for 1875–1944, divided into 10-year periods. Nutrient emissions into surface waters were calculated with the model MONERIS (MOdelling Nutrient Emissions in RIver Systems). For seven different pathways and eight sources, the total nitrogen (TN) emissions were quantified. The TN-emissions into the surface waters for 1880 amounted to 25,300 t?year^?1, and by 1940, this value had almost doubled to 46,600?t?year^?1. In 1880, 57% of TN-emissions into the surface waters derived from urban systems, due to the high amount of untreated waste water. In 1940, only 34% of TN-emissions into surface waters derived from urban systems, despite a population growth of about 27% since 1880; point sources via newly constructed waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) increased from 4% (1880) to 26% (1940). During the study period, the main changes in diffuse TN-emissions from agriculture were caused by inorganic fertilizer application and nitrogen deposition, while TN-emissions via urban sources were shifted to point sources due to population growth and the construction of new WWTPs. Furthermore, estimated TN-concentrations could make a contribution to construct benchmarks for nutrient concentrations according to the physiochemical properties to implement the European Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000).     

Harmonized assessment of nutrient pollution from urban systems including losses from sewer exfiltration: a case study in Germany

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A growing literature indicates that untreated wastewater from leaky sewers stands among major sources of pollution to water resources of urban...     

Reference conditions for rivers of the German Baltic Sea catchment: reconstructing nutrient regimes using the model MONERIS

We introduce an approach for establishing reference conditions (RC) for rivers of the German Baltic Sea catchment, based on predictive modelling. An extensive data set of statistics from the year 1880 was coupled with literature data, providing a comprehensive basis for the calculation of regional historical nutrient emissions into rivers, river nutrient concentrations, and nutrient loading into the sea. Four different scenarios were calculated: scenario 1 assumed RC following previously established criteria for lakes (Poikane et al. in Environ Manag 45(6):1286–1298, 2010), scenario 4 applied the nutrient emission conditions of 1880 (considering non-intensive land usage, the presence of tile drainage systems, sewer systems, and the human population from 1880), and scenarios 2 and 3 considered intermediate conditions. Our results showed that nutrient emissions from scenario 1 accounted for approximately one-tenth of the currently observed total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) emissions. The nutrient emissions calculated for 1880 (scenario 4) were found to be 47 % (TN) and 55 % (TP) higher than those calculated considering reference lake conditions (scenario 1). Our results suggest that RC nutrient concentrations in rivers in the German Baltic Sea catchment were clearly below 0.05 mg/l for TP and 1 mg/l for TN. This range is in accordance with historical and calculated pristine nutrient concentrations from other rivers in similar catchments.