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Modelling the Effects of Climate Change on the Supply of Inorganic Nitrogen

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The Impact of Climate Change on European Lakes

Part of the book series: Aquatic Ecology Series ((AQEC,volume 4))

Abstract

Human-induced changes in the nitrogen cycle due to the increased use of artificial fertilisers, the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops and atmospheric deposition have made nitrogen pollution to surface waters a long-standing cause for concern. In Europe, legislation has been introduced to minimise the risk of water quality degradation from excessive nitrogen inputs e.g., the European Union Nitrates Directive (EU, 1991), Drinking Water Directive (EU, 1998) and Water Framework Directive (EU, 2000). Coastal regions in particular have been an important focus, since coastal eutrophication has been attributed to increased fluxes of nitrogen from the landscape (Howarth et al., 1996; Boesch et al., 2006). While nitrogen is typically not the limiting nutrient in inland waters, increases in the nitrogen supply to rivers and lakes can impact the N:P ratio, influence the structure of aquatic food webs (Elser and Urabe, 1999; Arbuckle and Downing, 2001), regulate the seasonal development of phytoplankton (Van den Brink et al., 1993) and promote the growth of aquatic macrophytes (Kirchmann et al., 2004).

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Acknowledgments

The CLIME project was supported under contract EVK1-CT-2002-00121 by the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (EESD) Programme of the 5th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. We thank Glen George for his guidance throughout the project. We also thank Pamela S. Naden for helpful comments, Mark Zion for guidance with graphics, and Kathleen C. Weathers and Dennis P. Swaney for insightful reviews. Meteorological data for Ireland were obtained from the Met Éireann and streamflow data were obtained from the Office of Public Works. We thank the Kerry County Council for providing nutrient data for the Irish site. Air temperature data for Finland were provided by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute; rainfall data were obtained from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. All remaining data for Mustajoki were from the Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki. Data for the Swedish site were provided by the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the Swedish Land Survey (Lantmäteriet). Streamflow data for Estonia were from the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrological Institute and nutrient concentration data were from the State Monitoring Program of the Estonian Ministry of Environment. We thank the European Environment Agency (EEA), Copenhagen, for access to the CORINE land cover data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York City Department of Environmental Protection, 12401, Kingston, New York, USA

    Karen Moore

  2. Department of Applied Sciences, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin Rd, Dundalk, Ireland

    Eleanor Jennings

  3. Centre for the Environment, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Norman Allott

  4. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, EH26 OQB, Penicuik, Scotland

    Linda May

  5. SYKE Jyväskylä, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Marko Järvinen

  6. University of Helsinki, Lammi Biological Station, Pääjärventie 320, FI-16900, Lammi, Finland

    Lauri Arvola

  7. Department of Water Management, Estonia University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Toomas Tamm

  8. Department of Geography, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Arvo Järvet

  9. Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Tiina Nõges

  10. New York City Department of Environmental Protection, 71 Smith Avenue, 12401, Kingston, New York, USA

    Don Pierson & Elliot Schneiderman

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    Glen George

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Moore, K. et al. (2010). Modelling the Effects of Climate Change on the Supply of Inorganic Nitrogen. In: George, G. (eds) The Impact of Climate Change on European Lakes. Aquatic Ecology Series, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2945-4_11

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