Abstract

The STONE model for N and P emission to groundwater and surface waters has been developed to evaluate the environmental benefits of eutrophication abatement plans. Due to possible severe socio-economic consequences of these abatement plans, it is of importance that the model is well documented, calibrated and tested. This report describes the first phase of the STONE test. STONE results were compared with previously published results and with monitoring data. About 13,000 recent point source observations of nitrate in the upper groundwater were available, along with several hundred of observations showing N and P in local surface water systems. During this phase of the STONE test, the observations were lumped to statistical summaries, such as frequency distributions, means, etc. It was concluded that the STONE results compared quite well with these observed values. These results, however, present only limited information about underlying processes, spatial patterns and temporal dynamics. These issues will be addressed during the second phase of the STONE test. Results from the second phase of the STONE test will be reported in 2002.