Integrated modeling of nutrient emissions to air and water: Synergetic solutions for the European future

Human activities have largely influenced natural nutrient cycling. Air quality often suffers from nitrogen emissions that can be deposited on land and then reach rivers and coastal waters. Besides, rivers receive phosphorus from human activities on the land, causing eutrophication issues. However, integrated assessments of both air and water pollution associated with nutrients are limited, hindering a better understanding of future trends in this pollution. Nutrient management strategies to reduce both air and water pollution are needed, but their effects have been limited for the EU areas and future. This research, therefore, contributes understanding of basin-specific nutrient emissions to the air and surface waters, and explore the role of bio-based fertilizers and other nutrient management strategies to reduce future nutrient pollution under global change across Europe. We find that using bio-based fertilizers in combination with increased nutrient use efficiencies and improved wastewater treatment systems could reduce nutrient emissions to air and water simultaneously in the future.