Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia

Purpose - Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of the rapidly growing population in developing countries affects water quality. In regions such as the Lake Tana basin, knowledge is lacking on measures to reduce non-point source pollutants in humid tropical monsoon climates. The aim of...

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Main Authors: Moges, M.A., Schmitter, Petra S., Tilahun, Seifu A., Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89285
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author Moges, M.A.
Schmitter, Petra S.
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
author_browse Moges, M.A.
Schmitter, Petra S.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Tilahun, Seifu A.
author_facet Moges, M.A.
Schmitter, Petra S.
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
author_sort Moges, M.A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Purpose - Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of the rapidly growing population in developing countries affects water quality. In regions such as the Lake Tana basin, knowledge is lacking on measures to reduce non-point source pollutants in humid tropical monsoon climates. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to develop a non-point model that can predict the placement of practices to reduce the transport of sediment and phosphorus (P) in a (sub) humid watershed. Materials and methods - In order to achieve the objective, hydrometeorological, sediment, and P data were collected in the watershed since 2014. The parameter efficient semi-distributed watershed model (PED-WM) was calibrated and validated in the Ethiopian highlands to simulate runoff and associated sediments generated through saturation excess. The P module added to PED-WM was used to predict dissolved (DP) and particulate P (PP) loads aside from discharge and sediment loads of the 700 ha of the Awramba watershed of Lake Tana basin. The PED-WM modules were evaluated using the statistical model performance measuring techniques. The model parameter based prediction of source areas for the non-point source sediment and P was also evaluated spatially and compared with the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) of the watershed. Results and discussion - The water balance component of the non-point source model performed well in predicting discharge, sediment, DP, and PP with NSE of 0.7, 0.65, 0.65, and 0.63, respectively. In addition, the predicted discharge followed the hydrograph with insignificant deviation from its pattern due to seasonality. The model predicted a sediment yield of 28.2 t ha-1 year-1 and P yield of 9.2 kg ha-1 year-1 from Awrmaba. Furthermore, non-point source areas contributed to 2.7 kg ha-1 year-1 (29%) of DP at the outlet. The main runoff and sediment source areas identified using PED-WM were the periodically saturated runoff areas. These saturated areas were also the main source for DP and PP transport in the catchment. Conclusions - Using the PED-WM with the P module enables the identification of the source areas as well as the prediction of P and sediment loading which yields valuable information for watershed management and placement of best management practices.
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spelling CGSpace892852025-10-14T15:09:09Z Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia Moges, M.A. Schmitter, Petra S. Tilahun, Seifu A. Steenhuis, Tammo S. watershed management models sediment phosphorus river basins saturation intensification water quality water balance humid climate runoff hydrometeorology calibration Purpose - Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of the rapidly growing population in developing countries affects water quality. In regions such as the Lake Tana basin, knowledge is lacking on measures to reduce non-point source pollutants in humid tropical monsoon climates. The aim of this paper was, therefore, to develop a non-point model that can predict the placement of practices to reduce the transport of sediment and phosphorus (P) in a (sub) humid watershed. Materials and methods - In order to achieve the objective, hydrometeorological, sediment, and P data were collected in the watershed since 2014. The parameter efficient semi-distributed watershed model (PED-WM) was calibrated and validated in the Ethiopian highlands to simulate runoff and associated sediments generated through saturation excess. The P module added to PED-WM was used to predict dissolved (DP) and particulate P (PP) loads aside from discharge and sediment loads of the 700 ha of the Awramba watershed of Lake Tana basin. The PED-WM modules were evaluated using the statistical model performance measuring techniques. The model parameter based prediction of source areas for the non-point source sediment and P was also evaluated spatially and compared with the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) of the watershed. Results and discussion - The water balance component of the non-point source model performed well in predicting discharge, sediment, DP, and PP with NSE of 0.7, 0.65, 0.65, and 0.63, respectively. In addition, the predicted discharge followed the hydrograph with insignificant deviation from its pattern due to seasonality. The model predicted a sediment yield of 28.2 t ha-1 year-1 and P yield of 9.2 kg ha-1 year-1 from Awrmaba. Furthermore, non-point source areas contributed to 2.7 kg ha-1 year-1 (29%) of DP at the outlet. The main runoff and sediment source areas identified using PED-WM were the periodically saturated runoff areas. These saturated areas were also the main source for DP and PP transport in the catchment. Conclusions - Using the PED-WM with the P module enables the identification of the source areas as well as the prediction of P and sediment loading which yields valuable information for watershed management and placement of best management practices. 2018-01 2017-11-09T08:57:26Z 2017-11-09T08:57:26Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89285 en Open Access Springer Moges, M. A.; Schmitter, Petra; Tilahun, S. A.; Steenhuis, T. S. 2017. Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 14p. (Online first). doi: 10.1007/s11368-017-1824-z
spellingShingle watershed management
models
sediment
phosphorus
river basins
saturation
intensification
water quality
water balance
humid climate
runoff
hydrometeorology
calibration
Moges, M.A.
Schmitter, Petra S.
Tilahun, Seifu A.
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title_full Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title_short Watershed modeling for reducing future non-point source sediment and phosphorus load in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia
title_sort watershed modeling for reducing future non point source sediment and phosphorus load in the lake tana basin ethiopia
topic watershed management
models
sediment
phosphorus
river basins
saturation
intensification
water quality
water balance
humid climate
runoff
hydrometeorology
calibration
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89285
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AT tilahunseifua watershedmodelingforreducingfuturenonpointsourcesedimentandphosphorusloadinthelaketanabasinethiopia
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