Evaluation of a Compartmental Model for Prediction of Nitrate Leaching Losses

• Main Authors: Mehran,M, Tanji,K K, Iskandar,I K
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1981
• Subjects: Water Pollution and Control; *MATHEMATICAL MODELS; *WASTE WATER; *LAND USE; *WASTE TREATMENT; *LEACHING; MEASUREMENT; WATER FLOW; TEST METHODS; NITROGEN; TRANSPORT PROPERTIES; WATER TREATMENT; SOILS; CONCENTRATION(COMPOSITION); LOSSES; WASTE MANAGEMENT; BIOLOGICAL ABSORPTION; PLANTS(BOTANY); NITRATES; LPN-CWIS31633; Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA111560; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA111560

A model is presented that consists of a water flow submodel and a nitrogen flow submodel. Irrigation, precipitation, evapotranspiration, surface return flow, and deep percolation are considered in the water flow submodel. The processes of nitrification, denitrification, mineralization, immobilization, plant uptake, and nitrogen fixation are included in the nitrogen flow submodel. The model has been applied to two sets of experimental data obtained from (1) controlled test cells at U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, New Hampshire, and (2) field plots of the University of California at Davis. Comparison between the experimental and model results indicates the potential capabilities of compartmental models in predicitng nitrogen behavior in soil-water-plant systems under wastewater land treatment operations. This model is applicable to slow rate, rapid infiltration, and overland flow systems. (Author)