Nitrogen and phosphorus load reduction approach within safe ecological boundaries for the Nordic-Baltic region

The NORDBALT-ECOSAFE project involves eight partners in the Nordic-Baltic region and includes seven work packages and a cross-cutting issue on climate change. The project aims to develop new standards for setting safe ecological boundaries in water bodies and novel nutrient regulations using models, mitigation and policy tools and governance schemes. We will make an in-depth assessment of nutrient reference conditions and establish harmonised safe ecological boundaries for various biological indicators in water bodies, including climate change impacts. We will apply a state-of-the-art catchment model (SWAT+) to the project’s six river basins to demonstrate to stakeholders how to estimate nutrient concentrations, loads, sources and pathways, followed by a comparison of our findings with existing national models to assess model credibility. The water body status after adoption of the new ecological boundaries will be investigated using the SWAT+ output and an analysis of a large-scale river dataset on the entire Nordic-Baltic region. In NORDBALT-ECOSAFE we will produce guidance for the use of high frequency sensors in nutrient monitoring and their pros and cons compared to standard monitoring techniques. An analysis of trends in river stoichiometry (CNP) in the region will be made and the outcome compared with that of historical policies. We will develop novel indicators for balancing GHG emissions with nutrient loadings to water bodies and a framework for novel nature-based solutions (NBSs) and mitigation measures (MMs), including guidance for optimum efficiency for nutrient reduction and side effects. Finally, a River Basin Management Support System for implementing NBSs and MMs in river basins to meet nutrient reduction targets will be developed and demonstrated. Stakeholders and policy makers will be involved at all project stages.