Keywords

nitrogen; modelling; scenario; management; landscape; territory

Location

Session A7: Integrated management of water, land and ecosystems

Start Date

12-7-2016 4:30 PM

End Date

12-7-2016 4:50 PM

Abstract

Agriculture is facing to the challenge of maintaining or even increasing production while limiting the use of nitrogen inputs. The introduction of mineral nitrogen in agroecosystems feeds a cascade of processes and losses to the environment at each stage of the cascade with many environmental and societal impacts (degradation of air, water and soil quality, impacts on greenhouse gas balance, biodiversity and human health…). Since classical approaches at plot or farm scale do not make possible to control all impacts, levers must also be sought at larger scales. The overall objective of the interdisciplinary project ESCAPADE (ANR-12-AGRO-0003, 2013-2017) is to build and assess innovative solutions to reduce nitrogen losses in the environment or adapt production systems. It aims at understanding and hierarchizing the processes involved in the nitrogen cascade and nitrogen losses to the environment, as well as integrating them by taking into account spatial and temporal interactions within landscape mosaics. The project mainly focuses on rural sites from a few km2 to a few tens of km2 and also on larger territories from hundreds to thousands of km2. Modelling approaches are associated with inventories and observations to quantify flows of different forms of reactive nitrogen (NO3-, NH3, NOx, N2O…). Agro-environmental scenarios of nitrogen and landscape management in sites and larger territories are co-constructed and assessed from models. Results produced from the models, the observations and inventories, as well as from the scenarios will be used to propose innovative strategies to mitigate nitrogen losses and adapt production systems to the new agricultural contexts.

COinS
 
Jul 12th, 4:30 PM Jul 12th, 4:50 PM

ESCAPADE to quantify nitrogen losses in territories and assess mitigation and adaptation strategies

Session A7: Integrated management of water, land and ecosystems

Agriculture is facing to the challenge of maintaining or even increasing production while limiting the use of nitrogen inputs. The introduction of mineral nitrogen in agroecosystems feeds a cascade of processes and losses to the environment at each stage of the cascade with many environmental and societal impacts (degradation of air, water and soil quality, impacts on greenhouse gas balance, biodiversity and human health…). Since classical approaches at plot or farm scale do not make possible to control all impacts, levers must also be sought at larger scales. The overall objective of the interdisciplinary project ESCAPADE (ANR-12-AGRO-0003, 2013-2017) is to build and assess innovative solutions to reduce nitrogen losses in the environment or adapt production systems. It aims at understanding and hierarchizing the processes involved in the nitrogen cascade and nitrogen losses to the environment, as well as integrating them by taking into account spatial and temporal interactions within landscape mosaics. The project mainly focuses on rural sites from a few km2 to a few tens of km2 and also on larger territories from hundreds to thousands of km2. Modelling approaches are associated with inventories and observations to quantify flows of different forms of reactive nitrogen (NO3-, NH3, NOx, N2O…). Agro-environmental scenarios of nitrogen and landscape management in sites and larger territories are co-constructed and assessed from models. Results produced from the models, the observations and inventories, as well as from the scenarios will be used to propose innovative strategies to mitigate nitrogen losses and adapt production systems to the new agricultural contexts.