Eutro-SED Project

Phosphorus (P) release from river sediments has been identified as a contributing factor to waters failing the criteria for 'good ecological status' under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Protecting water resources is of primary importance in a changing world with increased pressures from increased populations, agricultural production, and climate change affects to ensure high quality and sustainable freshwater resources into the future.

Eutro-SED aims to identify the contribution of suspended sediment-bound and streambed P in geologically contrasting agricultural catchments and gain a greater understanding of controlling factors for its sequestration, mobilization, and bioavailability under current pressures.

Eutrophication hotspots resulting from biogeochemical transformations and bioavailability of phosphorus in the fluvial suspended sediment of geologically contrasting agricultural catchments (Eutro-SED).

Phosphorus (P) release from river sediments has been identified as a contributing factor to waters failing the criteria for 'good ecological status' under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)

Protecting water resources is of primary importance in a changing world with increased pressures from increased populations, agricultural production and climate change affects to ensure high quality and sustainable freshwater resources into the future.

Eutro-SED aims to identify the contribution of suspended sediment bound and streambed P in geologically contrasting agricultural catchments and gain greater understanding of controlling factors for its sequestration, mobilization and bioavailability under current pressures.

Research Team
Dr. David O'Connell & Prof. Laurence Gill (Trinity College Dublin [TCD] - Consortium Lead)
Dr Faruk Djodjic & Prof. Kevin Bishop (Swedish University of Agriculture [SLU])
Dr Yongfeng Hu (Canadian Light Source [CLU] and University of Saskatchewan [US])

Method and Approach
Eutro-SED is sub-divided into three work-packages each building on the previous with natural overlaps of tasks.

WP.1 Bio-geophysical and characteristics
Focuses on data collection and quantification of processes affecting characteristics and bio-geophysical dynamics affecting fluvial sediment bound P.

WP.2 Phosphorus bioavailability
Investigates fluvial sediment bound P bio-availability dynamics and mobilization in agroecosystems.

WP3. Sedimentary P Modelling
Address regional scale impacts of biogeochemical transformations and dynamics of fluvial sediment bound P bt refining and developing their descriptive mathematical formulations to better constrain P exchange models for agroecosystems.

Partner Institutions and Field-site locations

Consortium Composition
Trinity College Dublin (Lead Partner)
Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU)
Canadian Light Source & University of Saskatchewan (CLS & US)

Agricultural catchments
Irish Catchments
Tintern Abbey
Ballyboughal

Swedish Catchments
TBD
TBD .