Łupawa catchment – Lake Gardno system (PL)

The Łupawa river is located in northern Poland. Before draining directly to the Baltic Sea, it passes through a large, shallow coastal Lake Gardno (max. depth of 2.2 m, area of 24.7 km2). The near-coast part of the catchment, including Lake Gardno, belongs to Słowiński National Park having outstanding biodiversity status (NATURA2000 OSTOJA SŁOWIŃSKA PLH220023; Ramsar site). Lake Gardno is brackish and eutrophic. Eutrophication is mainly caused by agricultural activities in the catchment. With the water exchange rate constant of 9, the lake is strongly influenced by the river.

In CREATE, an integrated modelling approach has been planned for the Polish case study. This involves using SWAT+ to simulate streamflow and nutrient loads from the Łupawa catchment, and using the Delft3D model to simulate lake hydrodynamics, water quality and ecology.