Remote sensing data for further development of substance input modeling

Short Descripition

Nutrients and pollutants are discharged from agricultural land into water bodies. In addition to the groundwater pathway, inputs from drainage systems and erosion are significant input pathways. Therefore, the collection and embedding of information on functioning drainages and existing riparian strips is of great importance for the quantification of substance inputs into water bodies.

One goal of this project is the development of methodological approaches for the designation of drainage areas based on satellite data for nationwide substance input modeling in the MoRE model. Another goal is the nationwide designation of landscape elements that act as barriers with respect to sediment input into water bodies, especially riparian strips. This data basis enables a new analysis of the erosive substance input into surface waters. Method development will be carried out in representative test areas by combining satellite image-based remote sensing with ground truthing approaches. Subsequently, the transferability of the methods to the whole of Germany will be tested.

In one of the selected test areas, it is planned to check the plausibility of the model results using water quality data. With the help of the newly generated input data, the realism and regional information quality of the substance input model MoRE will be further improved and a quantitative basis for the derivation and evaluation of measures for the reduction of substance inputs into surface waters will be created.