Estimating runoff-driven estuarine nutrient loading using a parsimonious model
I am using a data and model integration framework for use in estuarine eutrophication vulnerability assessments that accounts for eutrophication drivers including Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and climate, as well as physiographic characteristics of estuaries that may make them susceptible to the effects of increased nutrient loading.
A lumped-parameter water quality model, the U.S. EPA Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Load (STEPL), is scaled and used to compute the historical nutrient loads for 112 coastal watersheds that drain to estuaries along the U.S. coasts.
Estimated nutrient loads are compared against the 2002 Regional Nutrient SPARROW Model Assessments.
A sensitivity analysis is run to select critical input parameters.
Key-words: water quality modeling, nutrient load, parsimonious model, estuary, STEPL, SPARROW
TN load computed for the entire U.S. using the STEPL model adapted to large spatial scale