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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Integrated Assessment of Nitrogen Losses from Agriculture in EU-27 using MITERRA-EUROPE

^a Alterra, Wageningen Univ. and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
^b LEI, Wageningen Univ. and Research Centre, P.O. Box 29703, 2502 LS The Hague, the Netherlands
^c Eurocare Bonn and Institute of Agricultural Policy, Market Research and Economic Sociology, Bonn Univ., Nussallee 253115 Bonn, Germany
^d International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria

^* Corresponding author (gerard.velthof{at}wur.nl).

Received for publication February 29, 2008. The high N inputs to agricultural systems in many regions in 27 member states of the European Union (EU-27) result in N leaching to groundwater and surface water and emissions of ammonia (NH₃), nitrous oxide (N₂O), nitric oxide (NO), and dinitrogen (N₂) to the atmosphere. Measures taken to decreasing these emissions often focus at one specific pollutant, but may have both antagonistic and synergistic effects on other N emissions. The model MITERRA-EUROPE was developed to assess the effects and interactions of policies and measures in agriculture on N losses and P balances at a regional level in EU-27. MITERRA-EUROPE is partly based on the existing models CAPRI and GAINS, supplemented with a N leaching module and a module with sets of measures. Calculations for the year 2000 show that denitrification is the largest N loss pathway in European agriculture (on average 44 kg N ha^–1 agricultural land), followed by NH₃ volatilization (17 kg N ha^–1), N leaching (16 kg N ha^–1) and emissions of N₂O (2 kg N ha^–1) and NO_X (2 kg N ha^–1). However, losses between regions in the EU-27 vary strongly. Some of the measures implemented to abate NH₃ emission may increase N₂O emissions and N leaching. Balanced N fertilization has the potential of creating synergistic effects by simultaneously decreasing N leaching and NH₃ and N₂O emissions. MITERRA-EUROPE is the first model that quantitatively assesses the possible synergistic and antagonistic effects of N emission abatement measures in a uniform way in EU-27.

Abbreviations: CAPRI, Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact • CAFÉ, Clean Air For Europe • DF, denitrification fraction • EU, European Union • GAINS, Greenhouse Gas-Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies • HSMU, Homogenous Spatial Mapping Units • IPCC, intergovernmental panel on climate change • LF, leaching fraction • NEC, National emission ceilings • NUTS2, Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics • STU, soil type units • UNFCCC, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change