The European Nitrogen Assessment Regional nitrogen assessments and implications for aquatic systems: European perspective Bruna Grizzetti European Nitrogen Assessment Currently European Research Council Executive Agency Formerly European Commission Joint Research Centre 6 th International Waters Conference 19 th October, Dubrovnik, Croatia

The European Nitrogen Assessment ENA Launch April 2011, Edinburgh International Conference “Nitrogen & Global Change” Download the assessment at: ENA Authorship 200 experts, 21 countries & 89 organizations Scientifically independent process

The European Nitrogen Assessment Objective of the European Nitrogen Assessment To review current scientific understanding of nitrogen sources, impacts and interactions across Europe, Taking account of current policies and the economic costs and benefits, as a basis to Inform the development of future policies at local to global scales.

The European Nitrogen Assessment ENA Inputs and Authorization NitroEurope Integrated Project (co-funded by the European Commission) Managing Nitrogen at the biosphere atmosphere interface Nitrogen in Europe Research Networking Programme (ESF) UNECE Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen International Nitrogen Initiative Linking UN Conventions Global Partnership on Nutrient Management

The European Nitrogen Assessment Scaling up of issues through the European Nitrogen Assessment N in Europe: the present position N processing in the biosphere N flows and fate at multiple spatial scales Managing N in relation to key societal threats European N policies and future challenges Fluxes From land to river basin to regional balance Processes In the atmosphere, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems Impacts On air, water, soil, biodiversity and climate Policy Different sectoral policies, national and international policies Integrated Assessment

The European Nitrogen Assessment The five key threats of excess Nitrogen The WAGES of too much nitrogen Water quality Air quality Greenhouse balance Ecosystems Soil quality

The European Nitrogen Assessment Nitrogen Cascade and Processes Quantify N fluxes ? WATER Processes

The European Nitrogen Assessment Nitrogen effects: Humans and aquatic ecosystems Effects of N ? Increased biomass Algal bloom, toxic algae Biodiversity loss Habitat loss Fish kills Regime shift Lost of aesthetic value The human and the aquatic systems are strictly interconnected Eutrophication reduces the capacity of the aquatic ecosyetm to absorb external stress, such as climate changes Increase of nutrients in the aquatic ecosystem  EUTROPHICATION

The European Nitrogen Assessment From river basin to coastal water Europe is exporting 4.7 Tg N/yr to its seas (model GREEN) Net Anthropogenic N Input (NANI): 3700 kg N/km 2 (5 times natural N 2 fixation) ~ 80% is stored (in soils, sediments and groundwater) or lost to the atmosphere ~20% reaches the basin outlet and the marine coastal zones (4 times the natural background)

The European Nitrogen Assessment Trends at European scale: rivers and aquifers NO 3 concentrations in European rivers, lakes and coastal waters are high in many regions Groundwater NO 3 concentrations have remained stable and high in some regions Lag time of groundwater response to changes in fertiliser application mg NO 3 /l See also: Bouraoui and Grizzetti (2011) Science of The Total Environment

Grizzetti, Bouraoui, Aloe (2011) Global Change Biology Nutrients discharged to the European seas

Nitrogen discharged per regional sea

Nitrogen Phosphorus Grizzetti, Bouraoui, Aloe (2011) Global Change Biology Nutrients concentration from 1985 to 2005

N:P ratio in European coastal waters from 1985 to 2005

The European Nitrogen Assessment Nitrogen Damage Costs & Sources Nature 14 April 2011 EU Damage cost: billion € / year

The European Nitrogen Assessment Effects of policies EU and international legislation Reduction of nitrogen in waste water discharges, but diffuse pollution from agriculture still remains a major threat for waters Policy tools are available within the European Union and under international conventions but their full implementation has not been achieved yet In many cases a delay in the water quality response to the implementation of measures have been observed The issue of pollution swapping between environmental compartments has appeared as an important element to be considered by both the scientific and policy prospective Design site specific mitigation measures Implementation of existing policy Encourage integration in sectoral policies Recommendations: Reduce the primary N inputs to the river basin

The European Nitrogen Assessment 7 ENA measures Seven key actions for better nitrogen management Agriculture (1) Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop production. (2) Improving nitrogen use efficiency in animal production. (3) Increasing the fertilizer N equivalence value of animal manure Transport and industry (4) Low-emission combustion and energy-efficient systems Waste water treatment (5) Recycling nitrogen (and phosphorus) from waste water systems Societal consumption patterns (6) Energy and transport saving (7) Lowering the human consumption of animal protein Reduce N diffuse inputs Reduce all N inputs Reduce N point inputs Reduce N atm inputs All measures have a positive effect on water quality

The European Nitrogen Assessment Key messages Each year Europe exports to its seas 4 times more N than the natural background and this is only the 20% of the antrophogenic nitrogen input in the watershed (Nr retained in soils and aquifers, and Nr lost to the atmosphere is unknown). A significant part of the European population could be potentially exposed to high nitrate values in drinking water if adequate treatments were not in place. Many of European aquatic ecosystems are eutrophic or at risk of eutrophication. The continuous nitrogen export to water pose a threat to to the provision of goods and services from the aquatic ecosystem and reduces its resilience Nitrogen concentrations in European rivers, lakes, aquifers and coastal waters are high in many regionsand do not show significant decreasing trends. Even under favourable land use scenarios the nitrogen export to European waters and seas is likely to remain significant in the near future The full implementation of the existing N regulations is necessary, together with the integration of the sectoral policies to reduce N cascade and avoid pollution swapping

The European Nitrogen Assessment Threats: - Human health - Aquatic ecosystem health - Provision of good and services Trends: Not significan decrease Scenarios: N export is likely to remain high Key messages: a picture N input is 4 times more than the natural background Way forward: Full implementation of the existing N regulations and integration of the sectoral policies to reduce N cascade and avoid pollution swapping Our political and societal choice

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