Using the modified agricultural non-point source pollution model in German watersheds

The modified agricultural non-point source pollution model (AGNPSm) was used in this study to predict runoff volume, peak flow rate, and sediment yield in three different watersheds in Germany. It is a distributed parameter soil erosion model which uses simple approaches to hydrological and sediment calculations. Simulations were carried out in the Glonn G1 (1.2 km2), and Glonn G2 (1.6 km2), and the Salzboede (81.7 km2) watersheds in Germany. Runoff volume was predicted reliably in all three watersheds. Sediment yield predictions were excellent in the Glonn G1 and acceptable in the Glonn G2 watersheds. There were some uncertainties in the sediment yield calculations for the Salzboede watershed. This study shows that a less complex soil erosion model such as AGNPSm is able to produce reliable assessments of non-point source pollution for planning purposes.