Far-future hydrology will differentially change the phosphorus transfer continuum.

Climate change is likely to exacerbate land to water phosphorus (P) transfers, causing a degradation of water quality in freshwater bodies in Northwestern Europe. Planning for mitigation measures requires an understanding of P loss processes under such conditions. This study assesses how climate induced changes to hydrology will likely influence the P transfer continuum in six contrasting river catchments using Irish national observatories as exemplars.

Soil erosion, sediment sources, connectivity and suspended sediment yields in UK temperate agricultural catchments: Discrepancies and reconciliation of field-based measurements.

Robust understanding of the fine-grained sediment cascades of temperate agricultural catchments is essential for supporting targeted management for addressing the widely reported sediment problem. Within the UK, many independent field-based measurements of soil erosion, sediment sources and catchment suspended sediment yields have been published. However, attempts to review and assess the compatibility of these measurements are limited.

Grazing livestock move by Lévy walks: Implications for soil health and environment.

Grazing livestock plays an important role in the context of food security, agricultural sustainability and climate change. Understanding how livestock move and interact with their environment may offer new insights on how grazing practices impact soil and ecosystem functions at spatial and temporal scales where knowledge is currently limited. We characterized daily and seasonal grazing patterns using Global Positioning System (GPS) data from two grazing strategies: conventionally- and rotationally-grazed pastures.

A reconnaissance survey of channel bank particulate phosphorus concentrations, controls and estimated contributions to riverine loads across England.

Channel banks can contribute a significant proportion of fine-grained (<63 μm) sediment to rivers, thereby also contributing to riverine total particulate phosphorus loads. Improving water quality through better agricultural practices alone can be difficult since the contributions from non-agricultural sources, including channel banks, can generate a 'spatial mismatch' between the efficacy of best management applied on farms and the likelihood of meeting environmental objectives. Our study undertook a reconnaissance survey ( = 76 sites each with 3 profiles sampled) to determine the total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of channel banks across England and to determine if TP content can be predicted using readily accessible secondary data.

Using the colour of recent overbank sediment deposits in two large catchments to determine sediment sources for targeting mitigation of catchment-specific management issues.

The effective management of sediment losses in large river systems is essential for maintaining the water resources and ecosystem services they provide. However, budgetary, and logistical constraints often mean that the understanding of catchment sediment dynamics necessary to deliver targeted management is unavailable. This study trials the collection of accessible recently deposited overbank sediment and the measurement of its colour using an office document scanner to identify the evolution of sediment sources rapidly and inexpensively in two large river catchments in the UK.