Application of methodologies to analyse nurient pollution in a European River Basin Network

Abstract

The EC funded EUROHARP project encompasses 22 research institutes from17 European countries (2002-2005). The overall objective of the EUROHARPwork is to provide end-users with guidance for an appropriate choice ofquantification tools to satisfy existing European requirements on harmonisationand transparency for quantifying diffuse nutrient losses, e.g. to facilitate theimplementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Nitrates Directive.The project includes both the assessment of the performance of individualmodels and the applicability of the same models in catchments throughoutEurope with different data availability and environmental condition. The basisfor the performance and applicability studies is the compilation of a harmonisedGIS/database for all catchment data and the analysis of these data (trends,watercourse retention).