InVEST models

<p><strong>Open the Data Resource:</strong> <a target='_blank' href='https://naturalcapitalalliance.stanford.edu/software/invest/invest-models' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>https://naturalcapitalalliance.stanford.edu/software/invest/invest-models</a></p><p>The InVEST models used for nutrient and sediment reduction work together to describe how landscapes generate, retain, and transport pollutants through a watershed.</p><p>The Nutrient Delivery Ratio model estimates how nitrogen and phosphorus move from different land uses into streams by combining information on soils, vegetation, topography, and hydrologic connectivity, allowing users to identify nutrient sources and the natural features that help retain them.</p><p>The Sediment Delivery Ratio model maps where soil erosion occurs and how much of that eroded material actually reaches waterways by integrating rainfall, slope, land cover, and flow paths, highlighting both erosion hotspots and areas where vegetation or buffers trap sediment.</p><p>The Annual Water Yield model provides essential hydrologic context by estimating how precipitation becomes evapotranspiration or runoff across the landscape, helping explain the water volumes that carry nutrients and sediment.</p><p>The Seasonal Water Yield model adds a time dimension by showing how water movement shifts between wet and dry periods, revealing seasonal patterns in pollutant transport.</p><p>Together, these models offer a science‑based picture of how land cover, soils, vegetation, and water movement shape the pathways of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, supporting decisions that improve watershed health and water quality.</p>