{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1007/s10661-023-11079-y", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:14:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-03-25", "title": "Evaluating the impacts of sustainable land management practices on water quality in an agricultural catchment in Lower Austria using SWAT", "description": "Abstract

Managing agricultural watersheds in an environmentally friendly manner necessitate the strategic implementation of well-targeted sustainable land management (SLM) practices that limit soil and nonpoint source pollution losses and translocation. Watershed-scale SLM-scenario modeling has the potential to identify efficient and effective management strategies from the field to the integrated landscape level. In a case study targeting a 66-hectare watershed in Petzenkirchen, Lower Austria, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was utilized to evaluate a variety of locally adoptable SLM practices. SWAT was calibrated and validated (monthly) at the catchment outlet for flow, sediment, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff93N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4\uffe2\uff80\uff93N), and mineralized phosphorus (PO4\uffe2\uff80\uff93P) using SWATplusR. Considering the locally existing agricultural practices and socioeconomic and environmental factors of the research area, four conservation practices were evaluated: baseline scenario, contour farming (CF), winter cover crops (CC), and a combination of no-till and cover crops (NT\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89CC). The NT\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89CC SLM practice was found to be the most effective soil conservation practice in reducing soil loss by around 80%, whereas CF obtained the best results for decreasing the nutrient loads of NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff93N and PO4\uffe2\uff80\uff93P by 11% and 35%, respectively. The findings of this study imply that the setup SWAT model can serve the context-specific performance assessment and eventual promotion of SLM interventions that mitigate on-site land degradation and the consequential off-site environmental pollution resulting from agricultural nonpoint sources.Worldwide climate change will most likely lead to drastic changes in hydrology and food production. In this study, the impact of climate change on the hydrological regime and the fate of pesticides in the Guayas River basin is investigated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. Four general circulation models and three representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5) for three future periods were used to assess impact of climate change. Future projections showed a maximum increase in the average monthly precipitation of 40% in June, as well as an increase in an average minimum temperature of 3.85\uffc2\uffb0C for July and an average maximum temperature of 4.5\uffc2\uffb0C for August in 2080s. The model simulations based on RCP 8.5 scenario predict an increase in potential evapotranspiration by 11%, surface runoff of 39% and water yield of 33% in 2080s. The pesticide simulation showed the highest water concentrations during the wet season. Projections of trends in pesticide concentration indicate a similar trend to the current situation given the application rate remains the same. The results can be beneficial for the management and planning of the basin to mitigate flood and water quality-related impacts of food production and climate change.Worldwide climate change will most likely lead to drastic changes in hydrology and food production. In this study, the impact of climate change on the hydrological regime and the fate of pesticides in the Guayas River basin is investigated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. Four general circulation models and three representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5) for three future periods were used to assess impact of climate change. Future projections showed a maximum increase in the average monthly precipitation of 40% in June, as well as an increase in an average minimum temperature of 3.85\uffc2\uffb0C for July and an average maximum temperature of 4.5\uffc2\uffb0C for August in 2080s. The model simulations based on RCP 8.5 scenario predict an increase in potential evapotranspiration by 11%, surface runoff of 39% and water yield of 33% in 2080s. The pesticide simulation showed the highest water concentrations during the wet season. Projections of trends in pesticide concentration indicate a similar trend to the current situation given the application rate remains the same. The results can be beneficial for the management and planning of the basin to mitigate flood and water quality-related impacts of food production and climate change.Managing agricultural watersheds in an environmentally friendly manner necessitate the strategic implementation of well-targeted sustainable land management (SLM) practices that limit soil and nonpoint source pollution losses and translocation. Watershed-scale SLM-scenario modeling has the potential to identify efficient and effective management strategies from the field to the integrated landscape level. In a case study targeting a 66-hectare watershed in Petzenkirchen, Lower Austria, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was utilized to evaluate a variety of locally adoptable SLM practices. SWAT was calibrated and validated (monthly) at the catchment outlet for flow, sediment, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff93N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4\uffe2\uff80\uff93N), and mineralized phosphorus (PO4\uffe2\uff80\uff93P) using SWATplusR. Considering the locally existing agricultural practices and socioeconomic and environmental factors of the research area, four conservation practices were evaluated: baseline scenario, contour farming (CF), winter cover crops (CC), and a combination of no-till and cover crops (NT\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89CC). The NT\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89CC SLM practice was found to be the most effective soil conservation practice in reducing soil loss by around 80%, whereas CF obtained the best results for decreasing the nutrient loads of NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff93N and PO4\uffe2\uff80\uff93P by 11% and 35%, respectively. The findings of this study imply that the setup SWAT model can serve the context-specific performance assessment and eventual promotion of SLM interventions that mitigate on-site land degradation and the consequential off-site environmental pollution resulting from agricultural nonpoint sources.