Intra-annual variability in the contribution of tile drains to basin discharge and phosphorus export in a first-order agricultural catchment

This study examines spatiotemporal variability (event-based, seasonal) in the contribution of drainage tiles within a basin to basin hydrologic discharge and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) export over a period of 1 year. Tile discharge was highly variable at both moderate (wet versus dry periods) and smaller (within-event) temporal scales, accounting for 0–90% of basin discharge at any given time. An estimated 42% of basin annual discharge originated from drainage tiles, the majority of which occurred during the winter and spring months. Concentrations of SRP and TP in drainage tile effluent were also highly variable in space and time (1–2850 μg SRP L−1, 5–8275 μg TP L−1). Higher concentrations of SRP and TP were linked to fields receiving manure compared to fields receiving inorganic fertilizers. SRP export from tiles accounted for 118% of basin SRP export on average, although their contribution to basin SRP export ranged from 4 to 344% on 32 discrete dates during which all tiles in the basin were sampled for hydrochemistry. On the same 32 dates, tiles accounted for an average of 43% of basin TP export, although this ranged from 0 to 200%. Management options such as tile plugs and optimizing the timing and application rates of fertilizer should be explored to minimize nutrient export from tiles.