Agricultural Water Protection in Europe under Pressure: Current State of Nutrient Flux Modeling and Assessment of the Impact of Mitigation Measures at National Level

Dear Colleagues,

High nutrient inputs into groundwater and surface waters continue to be a Europe-wide issue. For implementing the EU Water Framework Directive and the EU Nitrates Directive effectively, it is necessary to know the areas contributing significantly to the total nutrient load in river basins and the corresponding nutrient input pathways. In addition, it is indispensable to assess the extent of the required N and P reduction to reach the environmental targets set and to predict the expectable effects of regulations before implementation. Additionally, the time delay until changes in agricultural practice are measurable in groundwater and surface waters must be assessed.

We are happy to introduce this Special Issue, which focuses on regional and national examples for sophisticated nutrient modelling approaches that have been applied successfully to determine nitrogen and phosphorous inputs into groundwater and surface waters, to assess river-basin-specific nutrient management targets, and to evaluate the effectiveness of possible action scenarios on a country-wide level. This Special Issue has a regional focus on Europe; however, comparable regional examples for modelling studies from other parts of the world are welcome, too. Interdisciplinary working groups with backgrounds in hydrology, agriculture and administration are especially encouraged to submit their research manuscripts. Successful papers should be scientifically sound but practice-oriented.

Prof. Dr. Frank Wendland
Dr. Björn Tetzlaff
Dr. Markus Venohr
Guest Editors

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• integrated water resources management
• eutrophication
• EU water framework directive
• EU nitrate directive
• mitigation measures