Water and nutrient budgeting of Rostherne Mere, Cheshire, UK

This paper presents a simple model of the Rostherne Mere water catchment. The model allows calculation of water and elemental budgets on meteorological data using regressions derived from a monitoring data set. Estimates of yearly inputs and outputs of Ca, Mg, K and N suggest that the lake is currently acting as a sink for these elements. Comparison with earlier estimates shows an increase in N loading. High inputs of particulate P appear to be balanced by outputs of inorganic P, suggesting that the two may be coupled by certain physical and biogeochemical processes within the lake ecosystem, including adsorption to/desorption from particles, coprecipitation with various chemical compounds, uptake and excretion by biota, mineralisation and release from sediments.