Riparian Buffer Strip (2D): Nitrate & Sediment Filtration

A riparian buffer strip is one of the most widely deployed nature-based solutions for water quality: a band of grass, shrub or trees left standing between a cultivated field and a stream. This 2D version renders that field-to-stream strip from above and tracks individual runoff parcels carrying sediment and dissolved nitrate as they cross the buffer, alongside a live spatial removal-curve chart built from the same first-order, residence-time-based decay model used in real conservation-buffer design guidance. Adjust buffer width, vegetation type, slope and rainfall intensity and watch how residence time inside the buffer — not just its width — controls how much sediment and nitrate actually reach the stream.