Abstract

Diffuse sources of water contamination within catchments, such as agriculture, are a challenging problem for water quality management. Nutrient excess (e.g., nitrate and phosphate) harms ecosystems by producing eutrophication in water bodies and leading to biodiversity loss. Hydrological transport from sources to streams and biogeochemical transformations are primary drivers of variability in stream nitrate concentration. In our data-driven research, we study the nitrate concentration in stream water under different hydrologic conditions for a large sample of catchments (~200) in Germany. From runoff events to droughts, improving our understanding of how landscape modification interacts with hydrological events is critical to preventing future environmental damage under climate change.

Biography

Felipe Saavedra is a Ph.D. Student in the Catchment Hydrology department at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ in Germany since 2020. He completed his undergraduate studies at Universidad de Chile, where the main topics were hydrological cycle in forested catchments and snow dynamics in Andes Central. His current research is focused on large-sample catchment hydrology, particularly understanding the impacts of anthropogenic landscape modification on the water quality of rivers under different hydrological conditions.In addition, he is part of the Chilean NGO Somos Agua, where he contributes to developing research on agroecological practices.

Canal de Youtube / Youtube channel: youtube.com/dicuchilefcfm