Landscape metrics as indicators of river water quality at catchment scale

We investigated the relationship between land use parameters and FRAGSTATS-based landscape metrics (Edge Density, Patch Density, Mean Shape Index, Mean Euclidean Nearest Neighbour Index, Contagion, Patch Richness Density and Shannon's Diversity Index) and nutrient/organic-matter-based water quality indicators (BOD₇ and COD_KMnO4 values, total-N and total-P concentrations in water) in 24 catchments with various land use patterns in Estonia, using the CORINE Land Cover Map (1:100 000). Multiple regression analysis showed that, for BOD₇, total-N and total-P, the most important predictor was the proportion of urban areas, but landscape metrics also had a significant relationship with water quality. Mean Shape Index and Contagion were the most important predictors for COD_KMnO4. The knowledge that land use and landscape configuration impact water quality can be used in establishing and implementing water management plans in Europe.