Project description
IAssessing and mapping nitrate recovery capacity on a regional scale
Since the 1990s, Europe has been trying to mitigate the impact of nitrate pollution on water quality by reducing nitrate levels. However, restoring water quality takes time. Assessing nitrate recovery capacity (NRC) is challenging. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NIRECAS project will develop a novel assessment method to explore the relationship between NRC and the catchment attribute. By comparing nitrate concentrations with proxies of conservatively transferred elements, it will estimate the nitrate reactivity and legacy of a specific region. First, the project aims to investigate the control of lithology on nitrate reactivity and legacy using 200 pilot sites in France. It will then expand and adapt the methodology to other European regions.
Objective
Nitrate pollution remains a significant concern for water quality. Since the 90s, Europe has been actively working to reduce nitrate levels and improve water quality. Yet, restoring water quality is a slow process as nitrates may remain for decades within aquifers as a legacy. While imperative, assessing Nitrate Recovery Capacity (NRC) faces challenges due to strong variabilities in nitrate transfer times and percentages removed by bacterial consumption within anoxic zones, often requiring intricate models.
Here, we propose to leverage an innovative regional-scale assessment method to investigate the correlation between NRC and a readily accessible catchment attribute: lithology. Comparing nitrate concentrations with proxies of conservatively transferred element, NIRECAS determines the nitrate reactivity and legacy of a region. Within consistent geological contexts, the method analyzes the correlation between these factors and lithology while providing uncertainties of the correlation estimates. Our objectives are to (i) investigate the control of lithology on nitrate reactivity and legacy using 200 pilot sites in the Armorican Massif (France) taken as a first experimental region and (ii) extend and generalize the methodology to other European regions. Our deliverables include (1) a methodology for regional scale NRC mapping using available lithology databases, (2) maps of NRC for one to several European regions where lithology is found to be the primary controlling factor, (3) a user-friendly interface to a priori assess the percentage and transfer time of nitrate removed.
This should provide key information on the ability of vulnerable regions to restore water quality while catching the legacy of past agricultural practices at the relevant resolution. Besides, NIRECAS should serve as a valuable predictive tool to assess the impact of current agricultural strategies on future generations and support the transition of practices over the medium and long term.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology lithology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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35042 Rennes
France
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