Agricultural Nitrate Emission Patterns in the Tyne Catchment

Nitrate pollution is of importance in catchment planning from both a hydrological and ecological standpoint, but is, by its nature, difficult to monitor. Yet the design of "optimal" nitrate control policies requires knowledge of both the location of pollutant sources and the transport of pollutants through the hydrological system to water extraction points and ecologically sensitive areas. This paper presents a method for estimating the spatial and temporal distribution of nitrate emissions in the Tyne catchment from available information. The results indicate that spatially undifferentiated nitrate regulatory policies could impose unnecessarily high costs on farmers.