title: Dissolved phosphorus transport from soil to surface water in catchments with different land use.
abstract: Diffuse phosphorus (P) export from agricultural land to surface waters is a significant environmental problem. It is critical to determine the natural background P losses from diffuse sources, but their identification and quantification is difficult. In this study, three headwater catchments with differing land use (arable, pasture and forest) were monitored for 3 years to quantify exports of dissolved (<0.45 µm) reactive P and total dissolved P. Mean total P exports from the arable catchment ranged between 0.08 and 0.28 kg ha(-1) year(-1). Compared with the reference condition (forest), arable land and pasture exported up to 11-fold more dissolved P. The contribution of dissolved (<0.45 µm) unreactive P was low to negligible in every catchment. Agricultural practices can exert large pressures on surface waters that are controlled by hydrological factors. Adapting policy to cope with these factors is needed for lowering these pressures in the future.
authors: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Celestijnenlaan 200E-2411, 3001, Leuven, Belgium, dries.verheyen@ees.kuleuven.be.
authors: Dries
authors: D
authors: Verheyen
authors: Nele
authors: N
authors: Van Gaelen
authors: Benedicta
authors: B
authors: Ronchi
authors: Okke
authors: O
authors: Batelaan
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Struyf
authors: Gerard
authors: G
authors: Govers
authors: Roel
authors: R
authors: Merckx
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Diels
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D010758:Phosphorus