Mapping phosphorus modelling from plot to watershed scale

Water quality impairment due to excess phosphorus fertilizer is a significant issue in the EU, Canada, and elsewhere in the world. Surface water quality impacts drinking water and recreation, and is tied to societal challenges such as land use, farming, climate change, as well as food and water security. Mitigation options are available but with widely varying and uncertain cost-benefit ratios, thus water quality models are used to support decision makers. However, there is very little guidance on how to integrate data into watershed models, with the risk that models predictions may be unrealistic. This internship addresses technical and communication issues at the core of the complex phosphorus pollution issue, by providing guidance to field scientists and modellers. Such contribution will recommend paths forward to ensure that the phosphorus sub-models used to evaluate water quality and food production reflect our understanding of soil phosphorus. This will ensure that models can inform on important societal questions of critical nutrient pollution issues, given the large sums Canada invests in these issues. The proposed project will enhance the impact of Canadian and Danish research as it is aimed at co-writing a scientific paper highlighting knowledge gaps in modelling and measuring freshwater phosphorus pollution

Faculty Supervisor:

Christopher Wellen

Student:

Partner:

Aarhus University

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Water; Agriculture and Food

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: