1 July 2025
The International SWAT Conference & Workshops took place from 23 to 27 June on the picturesque island of Jeju, South Korea, hosted by Cheju Halla University. The event brought together more than 250 global researchers, modelers, hydrologists and water‑quality nerds working with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to share developments in watershed modeling and water quality management.
As part of the conference, our project partner Albert NKWASA, IIASA, presented the ongoing work within EUROLakes in a talk titled: “Linking watershed phosphorus management to eutrophication responses in European lakes.” Under work package 2, the SWAT model is used to simulate sediment and nutrient dynamics within lake catchments across Europe. To understand how these nutrients impact lake ecosystems, we couple SWAT outputs to the GPLake-M lake model. This combined modeling approach helps us estimate the reductions in phosphorus inputs needed to shift lakes from eutrophic, or algae-dominated, to clear-water states. It’s a practical tool for identifying realistic nutrient targets for lake restoration, tailored to the characteristics of individual watersheds and lake systems.
The conference provided an excellent platform to share methods applied in the project and receive feedback from fellow modelers. It also reinforced the importance of integrated modeling, connecting land and water processes to support evidence-based lake management across Europe and beyond.
In addition to the EUROLakes presentation, Albert also delivered an expert talk on Future Nutrient Reduction Needs in the World’s Largest Rivers to Limit Coastal Eutrophication and chaired a session on Hydrology.
The full agenda of the conference is available here.
