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Mohamed, Hassan 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4806-1485, Greenwood, Naomi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7166-9455, Cooper, Richard J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4518-5761, Graves, Carolyn and He, Yi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3014-3964
(2026)
Catchment controls on nutrients at coastal outlets: a national typology for England and Wales.
Journal of Hydrology, 677 (C).
ISSN 0022-1694
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Abstract
Riverine nutrient concentrations at coastal outlets reflect upstream catchment controls and underpin nutrient flux estimates. Existing catchment classifications are not tailored to this scale, limiting their application for interpreting land-to-sea patterns and informing management of marine pressures. This study develops a data-driven typology for 178 coast-draining catchments across England and Wales, grouping them into eight types through geospatial characterisation and clustering. Nutrient concentrations (2000–2024) were retrieved from water quality archives at 271 near-tidal sites.The resulting typology is structured along a topographic gradient, further differentiated by dominant bedrock permeability. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed significant differences between types for NH 4 +, NO 3 − and PO 4 3− (p < 0.001), with a significant seasonal effect for NO 3 − and PO 4 3− only. NO 3 − exhibited strong seasonality in arable lowland low- and high-permeability catchments where winter medians (8.8 and 8.4 mg N/L) exceeded summer values (5.1 and 6.4 mg N/L), reflecting enhanced leaching. NH 4 + showed limited seasonality, with variability governed by point-source inputs. PO 4 3− displayed an inverse seasonal pattern, with higher summer concentrations from reduced dilution of point-source inputs. Despite representing only 1% of the total catchment area, the urban type dominated NH 4 + and PO 4 3− concentrations, peaking in winter for NH 4 + (0.176 mg N/L) and summer for PO 4 3− (0.51 mg P/L), while NO 3 − was controlled by arable types, with increasing urban influence in recent years. These results provide a framework for targeting nutrient management to the dominant controls of each type, supporting more effective nutrient reduction measures under the UK Marine Strategy and OSPAR commitments.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Data availability: Full details and workflows of the catchment characterisation, nutrient data processing, and clustering analysis are provided in the project’s GitHub repository (https://github.com/Hassanabubaker/ Coast-Draining-Catchments-Typologies). |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | catchment typology,hydrogeology,land use,nutrient transport pathways,nutrients,ospar,water science and technology,sdg 14 - life below water ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2312 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2026 12:40 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2026 12:40 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103891 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135970 |
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