Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ae44b0 |
Licence  |
|
| Title (Primary) | Long-term assessment of point source contributions to nitrate pollution in the Central European Rhine and Elbe river basins |
| Author | Nguyen, V.T.
; Musolff, A.; Ebeling, P.; Sarrazin, F.J.; Fleckenstein, J.H.; Attinger, S.; Kumar, R.
|
| Source Titel | Environmental Research Letters |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | CHS; HDG |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Page From | art. 044018 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T4 Coastal System T5 Future Landscapes |
| Data and Software links | https://doi.org/10.4211/hs.aca9f19613894b6e8cbd53d99424b1bf |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 Supplement 2 |
| Keywords | point and diffuse nitrogen sources; stream water quality; nitrate pollution; wastewater effluent; European Rivers |
| Abstract |
Understanding the contributions of diffuse and point
sources to nitrate pollution is crucial for managing river water
quality. We conducted a long-term modeling study for the Rhine and Elbe
basins and their 146 subbasins from 1950 to 2021 to quantify the roles
of diffuse and, in particular, point sources in driving stream NO₃–N
concentrations. In both basins, simulated results show a decline in
point source contributions from 1950 to 2000, followed by a relatively
stable level at around 25% in the Rhine and fluctuations around 30%
levels in the Elbe. The decline in the simulated stream NO₃–N concentrations in both basins after 1990 was largely driven by a decrease in point sources, and stream NO₃–N concentrations remained high (∼2 mg l−1)
during 2010–2021, even when point sources were excluded. At the
subbasin level, changes in point source contributions and stream NO₃–N
concentrations reflected the overall trends of their respective basins,
although individual subbasins exhibited diverse patterns. In subbasins
with high stream NO₃–N concentrations during 2010–2021, point
source contribution accounted for around 30% (median values across
subbasins), and the fractions of agricultural, urban, and industrial
land cover were relatively high. These results highlight that point
source management alone is not sufficient to reduce stream nitrate to a
good ecological status (< 2 mg l−1), and spatial targeted management is required to achieve good ecological status at both the regional and local levels. |
| Nguyen, V.T., Musolff, A., Ebeling, P., Sarrazin, F.J., Fleckenstein, J.H., Attinger, S., Kumar, R. (2026): Long-term assessment of point source contributions to nitrate pollution in the Central European Rhine and Elbe river basins Environ. Res. Lett. 21 (4), art. 044018 10.1088/1748-9326/ae44b0 |
|