A deeper picture of the nitrogen cycle Nitrogen is indispensable to life on earth, yet its reactive forms can also have harmful effects on the environment when present in excessive amounts. We spoke to Professor Cláudia Marques-dos-Santos Cordovil about the work of the NitroPortugal project in strengthening the country’s research base and laying the foundations for continued investigation into the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle has changed dramatically over recent history, which has been linked to wider environmental problems, such as increased water and air pollution and loss of biodiversity. This has prompted a renewed focus on research; the European Nitrogen Assessment (ENA) was established in 2011 to look at the major issues surrounding nitrogen losses, out of which some key concerns were identified. “The ENA came up with five major concerns, described as WAGES. These are water, air, greenhouse gases, ecosystems and biodiversity, and soils. This is where we have to focus our efforts to reduce nitrogen losses,” says Cláudia Cordovil, a
Professor in the School of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon. This is an increasingly urgent priority, with growing concern around the impact of changes to the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen forms several kinds of reactive compounds which can be transformed relatively easily and trickle into different parts of the environment, in what has been described as the nitrogen cascade. “This is why it’s so difficult to control nitrogen use, and why it’s so difficult to improve nitrogen use efficiency,” explains Professor Cordovil. Climatic and soil conditions have a major influence on the extent of nitrogen losses, so Professor Cordovil believes it’s important
to develop a deeper picture of how the nitrogen cycle is changing in Portugal. “The situation in southern Europe is not the same as in other parts of Europe,” she points out.
NitroPortugal project A lot of the measurements on which wider European legislation around nitrogen management and emissions are based have historically been made in central and northern Europe however, despite these regional differences. Now Professor Cordovil and her colleagues in the NitroPortugal project are looking at the situation in Portugal in greater depth, while also aiming
People normally work on very specific areas. For example, soil scientists work on soil samples, biodiversity scientists work mostly with their populations, and people working on water issues are concerned about the level of nitrate contamination, to give a simple example.
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to strengthen the country’s research base in this area. “We’re looking at it from a holistic point of view,” she explains. “We are looking at these different parts of the environment described in WAGES, and investigating how excessive reactive nitrogen in the environment can affect them.” This is a relatively neglected area of research, believes Professor Cordovil, particularly in view of its environmental importance. The carbon cycle has attracted a lot of attention in research as awareness of climate change has grown over recent decades, yet nitrogen has not reached the same level of prominence. “I think that nitrogen has not been given the same level of attention as carbon has,” says Professor
The four Principal Investigators of the NitroPortugal project.
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Cordovil. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is in fact a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, yet the latter figures much higher in the public consciousness; this is an imbalance Professor Cordovil and her colleagues are working to address. “We aim to heighten awareness about the need to improve nitrogen use efficiency,” she explains. The foundation of this work is a deep knowledge of nitrogen and how to increase the nitrogen use efficiency to reduce current reactive nitrogen losses in forms that find their way into different parts of the environment. While nitrogen is essential to life, excessive amounts of the reactive forms in the environment can have a negative impact. “On the one hand,
nitrogen is absolutely indispensable to life. It is 78 percent of the air that we breathe and it plays a central part in processes like DNA formation. But on the other hand if there are excessive amounts of the reactive forms in the environment, then that can cause problems,” explains Professor Cordovil. A prime example is the impact of excess reactive nitrogen on air pollution. Evidence suggests that reactive nitrogen is linked to the formation of particulate matter, fine particles in the atmosphere that can affect the heart and lungs, increasing the occurrence of respiratory diseases. “This has a serious impact on public health,” points out Professor Cordovil. Over recent years, the amount of reactive nitrogen in the environment has increased across the world, underlining the importance of the project’s work. “Our idea is to continue the work that was done previously in Nitrogen Europe and other initiatives,” says Professor Cordovil. “We want to strengthen collaboration between institutions, and to increase Portuguese participation in European nitrogen research.” There is also a strong emphasis in the project on sharing expertise and knowledge across different disciplines, which has not always been the case previously, with researchers often working in highly specialised areas. Nitrogen is of interest across many different disciplines, yet researchers do not typically work together and share data to build a deeper picture. “People normally work on very specific areas. For example, soil scientists work on soil samples, biodiversity scientists work mostly with their populations, and people working on water issues are concerned about the level of nitrate contamination, to give a simple example” explains Professor Cordovil. This is an issue that the project aims to address by strengthening collaboration, identifying gaps in knowledge, and encouraging scientists to share their findings. While there are some research activities in the project, the main focus is on strengthening Portugal’s research capacities in this area and heightening awareness of the issues around nitrogen losses more generally. “We’re trying to reach the general public, and we have also attracted a lot of interest from the farming sector,” says Professor Cordovil. A lot of attention in the project is focused on the agricultural sector in particular. “The agricultural sector is one of the major contributors to nitrogen losses due to the use of mineral fertilisers and manures for example,” outlines Professor Cordovil.
EU Research
NitroPortugal Strengthening Portuguese research and innovation capacities in the field of excess reactive nitrogen
Project Objectives
To understand the state of knowledge and environmental status regarding nitrogen in Portugal. To bring Portugal up front in the international Nitrogen research, dissemination and policy arena.
Project Funding
NitroPortugal is H2020-TWINN-2015 Coordination & support action (nr 692331).
Project Partners
The NitroPortugal Team
Agricultural sector These types of practices have become common in farming, yet there are more sustainable alternatives, and Professor Cordovil says that part of the project’s agenda involves educating farmers around the importance of effective nitrogen management. “Farmers need to understand the benefits of doing proper fertiliser management and proper nitrogen management,” she outlines. There has already been a shift in this general direction over the last few years, with the
urea fertiliser, is looking towards producing fertilisers using only new neem coated urea, which helps to reduce nitrogen losses,” she says. By strengthening the Portuguese research base, Professor Cordovil aims to help keep the nitrogen cycle in the forefront of public attention. “It is about raising awareness of nitrogen issues, both in policy makers and in the general public,” she says. The public have an important role to play in these terms by changing behaviour and encouraging companies to move
• Instituto Superior de Agronomia (School of Agronomy), University of Lisbon, Portugal, PI Cláudia M. d. S. Cordovil • Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal PI Cristina Branquinho • Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, Natural Environment Research Centre, UK, PI Mark Sutton • Aarhus University, Denmark, PI Tommy Dalgaard
Contact Details
Project Coordinator, Professor Cláudia Marques-dos-Santos Cordovil (PhD) Instituto Superior de Agronomia da Universidade de Lisboa Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa Portugal T: +35 1 21 365 3424 E: cms@isa.ulisboa.pt W: http://www.isa.ulisboa.pt/proj/nitroportugal/ Cláudia Marques-dos-Santos Cordovil
We came up with five major concerns, which are
water, air, greenhouse gases, ecosystems and biodiversity, and soils - WAGES. This is where we have to focus our efforts to reduce nitrogen losses and to improve nitrogen use efficiency. re-emergence of some traditional farming practices. “Some of the old practices that our grandparents used to do are gaining importance again in agriculture, for example crop associations are being looked at carefully again,” continues Professor Cordovil. A number of other techniques are also available to help reduce nitrogen losses, such as urea coatings and nitrification inhibitors, yet there is still scope for further improvement. There is a growing international awareness of the impact of nitrogen losses, and Professor Cordovil says some countries are taking action. “For example India, which is a major producer of
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Cláudia Marques-dos-Santos Cordovil is Professor at the University of Lisbon, School of Agronomy. Working on Nitrogen, soil fertility and plant nutrition, recycling of organic wastes for nutrient recovery. Collaborates with international partners in science communication on nitrogen issues. Co-chair of the Task Force on reactive Nitrogen of the UNECE.
towards more sustainable practices, which starts with education. A higher level of public awareness is also central to continued research in this area in future, both in Portugal and elsewhere. “The example of the NitroPortugal could be followed by countries which perhaps don’t have a very strong tradition of research in this area,” outlines Professor Cordovil. This will help to lay the foundations for further research and international collaborations. “We are starting to work on nitrogen assessments with Spanish colleagues. We hope to prepare the ground for a new approach in this area,” says Professor Cordovil.
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