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.

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 €

Partner:

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