Quantification of nitrate leaching from German forest ecosystems by use of a process oriented biogeochemical model.

Simulations with the process oriented Forest-DNDC model showed reasonable to good agreement with observations of soil water contents of different soil layers, annual amounts of seepage water and approximated rates of nitrate leaching at 79 sites across Germany. Following site evaluation, Forest-DNDC was coupled to a GIS to assess nitrate leaching from German forest ecosystems for the year 2000. At national scale leaching rates varied in a range of 0->80 kg NO(3)-N ha(-1) yr(-1) (mean 5.