SHUTTLE - nutrientS Hotmoments dUe To exTreme hydroLogic Events

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Abstract:

The application of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers has increased food production worldwide but has non-intentionally impacted the inland water chemical and biological quality. Despite several European and national regulations, dramatic contamination is reported for European waters, with hot spots in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Italy. Contamination leads to human and animal health problems, loss of recreational attractiveness, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and increases depuration costs. To contrast contamination and address sustainable agricultural practices, research efforts should identify N and P sources, pathways, and transformations along the cultivated lands-aquatic ecosystems continuum. This issue is challenging in a time of climate change, which affects the timing and intensity of nutrient export from soils to aquatic ecosystems, due to extreme rainfall events or prolonged drought, acting upon water management and irrigation strategies. The project SHUTTLE (nutrientS Hot moments dUe To exTreme hydroLogic Events) aims at investigating the drivers and the mechanisms displacing N and P from arable land to surface water and groundwater in intensively cultivated, farmed, and irrigated watersheds in a time of climate change. SHUTTLE will be implemented in the Chiese and Volano river watersheds, within the Po River basin. The two watersheds undergo similar climatic anomalies and hydrological extremes but differ in terms of livestock load, ratios of organic VS synthetic fertilizers application, soil permeability, vulnerability to diffuse pollution, and irrigation practices (flooding VS sprinkler irrigation). SHUTTLE will calculate the N and P soil system budget at the whole watershed scale, by the inventory of all N and P inputs and outputs across the arable lands. Maps reporting N and P amounts in excess to crop uptake will be produced, identifying the hotspots where the water contamination risk is higher. SHUTTLE will simultaneously quantify monthly N and P riverine loads from the basins, revealing how much of the soil N and P excess is effectively displaced to the hydrosphere. High-frequency, intensive samplings are planned during hydrological extremes, to reveal hot moments in N and P mobility. SHUTTLE will also focus on the drivers and mechanisms leading to N and P transport, via a combination of in situ and laboratory experiments under controlled conditions (e.g., simulated precipitation or irrigation events). The work plan of SHUTTLE, implemented in heterogeneous agricultural areas and at different spatial and temporal scales, is ambitious but solid due to the strong expertise of the partnership in this research topic. SHUTTLE has a robust communication plan, as its results will add new and relevant information for stakeholders, to implement sustainable agricultural practices and effectively tackle loss of soil fertility and eutrophication.

Risultati attesi: 

The application of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers has substantially increased global food production but has unintentionally impacted the chemical and biological quality of inland and coastal waters. Despite the implementation of several European and national regulations, dramatic contamination is reported for European waters, with hotspots in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Italy. Such contamination results in human and animal health problems, loss of recreational attractiveness, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and increases depuration costs. This issue is increasingly complex in the context of climate change, which affects the timing and intensity of nutrient export, due to extreme rainfall events or prolonged drought, affecting water management and irrigation strategies.
The SHUTTLE project (nutrientS Hot moments dUe To exTreme hydroLogic Events) explored the drivers and dynamics governing N and P displacement from arable land to surface and groundwater along the land-aquatic continuum. The research was conducted in two intensively cultivated, farmed, and irrigated watersheds, the Chiese and Volano rivers, located in the Po River Basin, both affected by hydroclimatic extremes but differing in livestock density, fertilizers practices, soil permeability and pollution vulnerability.
SHUTTLE characterized and classified the two basins through the calculation of the N and P soil budgets at both watershed and municipal scales, based on detailed inventories of nutrient inputs and outputs across the agricultural land. Erosion risk was also assessed to support identification of zones with heightened vulnerability to diffuse pollution. These analyses allowed for the spatial identification of hotspots where the water contamination risk is higher. Monthly monitoring of N and P riverine loads was conducted at multiple stations to evaluate how much of the soil nutrient surplus is effectively displaced to the hydrosphere. These samplings were coupled with high-frequency, intensive samplings carried out during hydrological extremes via the use of automatic samplers, to reveal and quantify the contribution of hotmoments in N and P mobility. Mesoscale experiments on irrigated fields and secondary drainage canals, together with laboratory incubations, provided insights into N and P mobilization, soil accumulation and removal processes under both field and controlled conditions.The collected data enables a comprehensive assessment of the mechanisms controlling nutrient fluxes across the soil-water continuum under variable climatic conditions. The outcomes contribute to a scientific basis for delineating future guidelines for sustainable nutrient and water management in agricultural landscapes.

Dettagli progetto:

Referente scientifico: Castaldelli Giuseppe

Fonte di finanziamento: Bando PRIN 2022 PNRR

Data di avvio: 30/11/2023

Data di fine: 30/11/2025

Contributo MUR: 124.950 €

Sito web: https://shuttlenutrients.wordpress.com/

Partner:

  • Università degli Studi di FERRARA (capofila)
  • Università degli Studi di PARMA