Georgia Destouni and Amélie Darracq 2009 Environ. Res. Lett. 4 035008 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/4/3/035008
Georgia Destouni and Amélie Darracq
Show affiliationsPart of Focus on Groundwater Resources, Climate and Vulnerability
This study has quantified the subsurface (groundwater, soil, sediment) water system role for hydrological nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loading to the coast and agricultural N2O emissions to the atmosphere in a changing climate. Results for different climate and hydrological model scenarios in the Swedish Norrström drainage basin show that the subsurface water system may largely control a long-term increase in the coastal nutrient loading, in particular for P, irrespectively of the realized future climate change scenario and our uncertainty about it and its water flow effects. The results also indicate an important subsurface water system role for current atmospheric N2O emissions from agriculture, and an even greater role for future ones. The current N2O–N emissions from agriculture are quantified to be about 0.05 g m−2 yr−1 over the basin surface area, or 3% of the direct N mass application on the agricultural land. These results are consistent with recent global emission estimates, and show how the latter can be reconciled with previous, considerably smaller subsystem emission estimates made by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
92.40.Zg Hydrometeorology, hydroclimatology
92.40.Qk Water quality and water resources
Issue 3 (July-September 2009)
Received 23 March 2009, accepted for publication 28 August 2009
Published 23 September 2009
Georgia Destouni and Amélie Darracq 2009 Environ. Res. Lett. 4 035008
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