Topographic controls on soil biogeochemistry and its impact on water pollution

动机65%的英国水道未能达到一个良好的状态分类根据水框架指令和污染的水道的比例一直在增加，在过去的十年。这个问题在英国更为突出，英国大部分人口都居住在那里。主要的水污染物是氮，磷和有机碳，它们的最大部分来自农业用地的扩散源。为了充分了解扩散污染的动态并制定缓解措施，我们需要详细量化它们从陆地到地表和地下沃茨的流动路径。量化这些流动路径需要高质量的数据和模型。数据包括高分辨率土壤和地形图、土壤健康调查、高分辨率水质测量和土地管理做法，所有这些都没有广泛提供。为了克服这一问题，目前的模型，采用简化的集中或半分布式的方法在模拟集水区的水污染物的运输。这种方法大大降低了我们量化土地地形对土壤微生物动力学影响的技能，并最终降低了污染物从农田到地表和地下沃茨的过境时间。在这个项目中，我们与Cool Farm Alliance合作，扩大我们的建模能力，开发一种工具，以解决所有相关生物物理过程的相关规模，并将科学知识转化为农业指导方针，以优化农业土地管理。项目任务（1）模型开发项目的第一项任务是开发三维生态水文模型。这项工作将建立在最先进的生态水文和土壤地球化学模型T&C的基础上。进一步的发展将包括并行计算，以便在非常精细的尺度上实现3D模型的快速计算。Cool Farm Alliance及其广泛的合作伙伴网络将提供输入数据来帮助模型开发以及用于数据收集和模型验证的站点。(2)翻译方法与酷农场联盟合作，我们的新模型模拟将提供与复杂景观中的田间地形，土壤健康和土壤微生物活性相关的定量指标，在多种土地管理实践中。这些将用于为“酷农具”和农民可理解的指标制定经验法则实用算法，并将其与明确的指导方针和相关的最佳耕作做法联系起来。注意事项：CFT是一种计算工具，通过评估温室气体排放、碳固存、水利用和与其耕作实践相关的生物多样性，支持农民做出明智的决策。(3)影响途径在项目的最后一部分，我们将为酷农场联盟及其成员提供一个将这些结果纳入CFT的规范。技能和要求

Motivation65% of the UK's water courses fail to achieve a good status classification according the Water Framework Directive and the proportion of polluted water courses has been increasing the last decade. The problem is much more pronounced in England, where most of the UK's population resides. The main water pollutants are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and organic carbon and their largest fraction originates as diffuse source from agricultural land. To fully understand the dynamics of diffuse pollution and develop mitigation practices, we need to quantify in detail their flow path from the land to our surface and ground waters.Quantification of those flow paths requires high quality data and models. Data includes high resolution soil and topographic maps, soil heath surveys, high resolution water quality measurements and land management practices, all not widely available. To overcome this issue current generation models, adapt simplified lumped or semi-distributed approaches in modelling transport of water pollutants in catchments. Such an approach drastically reduces our skill in quantifying the impact of the land's topography on the microbial dynamics of soils, and ultimately the transit times of pollutants from agricultural land to surface and ground waters. For this project we collaborate with Cool Farm Alliance to expand our modelling capabilities, develop a tool that will tackle all the related biophysical processes at their relevant scales and translate scientific knowledge to farming guidelines in optimally managing agricultural land. Project Tasks(1) Model DevelopmentIn the first task of the project we will develop a three-dimensional ecohydrological model. The work will build on the state-of-the art ecohydrological and soil biogeochemical model T&C. Further development will include parallel computing in order to achieve fast computations for a 3D model at very fine scales. Cool Farm Alliance and its extensive partnership network will provide inputs data to aid model development and sites for data collection and model validation. (2) Translation to MethodsWorking in collaboration with Cool Farm Alliance our novel model simulations will provide quantitative indicators related to field topography, soil health and soil microbial activity in a complex landscape, under multiple land management practices. These will be used to develop rule-of-thumb practical algorithms for the Cool Farm Tool (CFT) and farmer understandable indicators and link those with clear guidelines and related best farming practices. Note: the CFT is a computational tool which supports informed decision making for farmers by assessing greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, water use, and biodiversity associated with their farming practices.(3) Route to ImpactIn the final part of the project we will provide the Cool Farm Alliance and its members with a specification for adoption of these results into the CFT.Skills & Requirements