Annual Nutrient and Sediment Loads to Rivers in England and Wales

England and Wales river catchments contain estimates of discharged loads of nitrogen, phosphorous, and fine-grained sediments from multiple sector sources. The data, from the SEPARATE modelling framework, apportions loads from diffuse and point sources and reports them as tonnes per year at Water Framework Directive catchment scale.

Use Cases

• Apportion total phosphorous loads between diffuse sources like agriculture and point sources like sewage treatment works to identify primary pollution contributors.
• Analyze cumulative pollutant loads from upstream catchments to assess downstream waterbody impacts for nitrogen and fine-grained sediments.
• Model dissolved phosphorous versus total phosphorous contributions across sectors to inform targeted mitigation strategies.
• Compare sector-specific pollutant percentages from agriculture, urban areas, and atmospheric deposition for policy evaluation.

Strengths

• Data is apportioned to Water Framework Directive cycle 2 waterbodies, providing standardized spatial units for analysis.
• Pollutant loads are reported for multiple sectors including agriculture, urban, sewage treatment works, and atmospheric deposition.
• Loads are expressed as tonnes per year, enabling quantitative annual impact assessments.

Limitations

• The dataset is derived from a modelling framework (SEPARATE), not direct measurements, introducing potential model uncertainty.
• Temporal coverage and update frequency are not specified, limiting analysis of trends over time.
• Sample data and row/column counts are unavailable, preventing assessment of dataset size and structure prior to download.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

SEPARATE modelling framework integrating pollutant emissions from multiple sources.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

England and Wales, reported at Water Framework Directive catchment scale.