Modeling nutrient pollution during a first flood event using HSPF software: Iskar River case study, Bulgaria

Irina Ribarova, Plamen Ninov and David Cooper

Ecological Modelling, 2008, vol. 211, issue 1, 241-246

Abstract: The nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the Iskar River, Bulgaria, during a first flood event have been modeled. The term “first flood event” refers to the response to the first rainfall event after a long dry period which has a major impact on river nutrient loads. The HSPF model had been calibrated with data for 2 years (2000–2001) and verified using data for a further year for a sub-catchment of the Iskar River (from the source to Iskar reservoir). In order to test the ability of HSPF to describe nutrient pollution during a flood event, the calibrated daily time step model was run for such an event with two time steps—daily and hourly. The results of the hydrologic simulation gave a difference in water balance for the period of less than 5%. Percentage differences between observed and simulated values for the nitrogen load were calculated as 13.1% and 18% for hourly and daily simulations, respectively. Percentage differences between phosphorus measured and simulated loads were larger at 16.6% and 34.4%. The simulations performed here suggest further application of the HSPF model may be valuable in providing a better understanding and in forecasting nutrient concentrations during first flood events.

Keywords: First flood event; Flush event; HSPF model; Nutrient pollution; Point and non-point sources of pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:211:y:2008:i:1:p:241-246

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.09.022

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