Presentation delivered by Grizetti during the GEF STAP session during the 6th GEF Biennial International Waters Conference in 2011 in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

1. 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
6th International Waters Conference
19th October, Dubrovnik, Croatia

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

3. 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.

4. 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)
729729
UNECE
Task Force
on Reactive
Nitrogen
International
Nitrogen
Initiative
Linking UN
Conventions
Global
Partnership
on Nutrient
Management

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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/km2
(5 times natural N2 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)

10. The European Nitrogen Assessment
Trends at European scale:
rivers and aquifers
• NO3 concentrations in
European rivers, lakes and
coastal waters are high in
many regions
• Groundwater NO3
concentrations have
remained stable and high
in some regions
• Lag time of groundwater
response to changes in
fertiliser application
mg NO3/l
See also:
Bouraoui and Grizzetti (2011)
Science of The Total Environment

11. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - EuropeanSeas
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
50
100
150
200
250
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350
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
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1992
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1996
1997
1998
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2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalPLoad(1000tonP)
PhosphorusLoad - European Seas
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
Grizzetti, Bouraoui, Aloe (2011)
Global Change Biology
Nutrients discharged to the European seas
1985-2005

12. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - Atlantic Sea
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - Mediterranean Sea
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - Baltic Sea
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - Black Sea
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
WaterFlow(1000m3/s)
TotalNLoad(1000tonN)
Nitrogen Load - North Sea
Other Pointsources Agriculture Water Flow
Nitrogen discharged per regional sea
1985-2005

13. 0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
TotalNconcentrationmg/L
Atlantic Sea
MediterraneanSea
NorthSea
Baltic Sea
Black Sea
All Seas
Nitrogen
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
TotalPconcentrationmg/L A
M
N
B
B
A
Phosphorus
Grizzetti, Bouraoui, Aloe (2011)
Global Change Biology
Nutrients concentration from 1985 to 2005

14. N:P ratio in European coastal waters
from 1985 to 2005
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
N:Pratio
Baltic Sea
North Sea
AtlanticSea
MedSea
Black Sea
All EU seas

15. The European Nitrogen Assessment
Nitrogen Damage Costs & Sources
Nature 14 April 2011
EU Damage cost: 70 - 320 billion € / year

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. The European Nitrogen Assessment
Download the assessment at:
www.nine-esf.org/ENA
Thank you
bruna.grizzetti@ec.europa.eu