Acid deposition, land-use change and global change: MAGIC 7 model applied to Aber, UK (NITREX project) and Risdalsheia, Norway (RAIN and CLIMEX projects)

Abstract

Nitrogen processes are now included in a new version of MAGIC (version 7), a process-oriented catchment-scale model for simulating runoff chemistry. Net retention of nitrogen (N) is assumed to be controlled by plant uptake and the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of soil organic matter, the latter as evidenced by empirical data from forest stands in Europe. The ability of this version of MAGIC 7 to simulate and predict inorganic N concentrations in runoff is evaluated by means of data from whole-ecosystem manipulation experiments at Aber, Wales, UK, (nitrogen addition as part of the NITREX project) and Risdalsheia, Norway (exclusion of acid deposition as part of the RAIN project and climate change as part of the CLIMEX project). MAGIC 7 simulated the changes in N leaching satisfactorily as well as changes in base cations and acid neutralising capacity observed at these two sites. MAGIC 7 offers a potential tool for regional assessments and scenario studies of the combined effects of acid deposition, land-use and climate change.