The Nitrate fate tool for the assessment of the groundwater vulnerability within the geospatial decision support system LandSupport

This work presents the new web-based, freely-available dynamical tool, named the nitrate fate tool, for the assessment of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate pollution, developed within the geospatial Decision Support system (DSS) of LandSupport. The tool is based on the coupling of the ARMOSA model and the extended transfer function model (TFM-ext). The first is used to simulate the crop growth dynamics and the consequent nitrate leaching within the rooting depth of the soil. Then its outcomes feed the TFM-ext model to assess the transport of nitrate through the unsaturated zone till the groundwater table depth. Results of the tool are shown through the LandSupport GUI both as coloured maps, representing the number of years for the arrival of the 50% of root leachate, and as cumulative charts of the nitrate arrival at the depth of interest. This work presents the tool implementation within the S-DSS, its inputs and an example of application.