Improving an existing proxy-based approach for floodplain denitrification assessment to facilitate decision making on restoration.

Excess nitrogen (N) from agricultural sources is a major contributor to the water pollution of rivers in Europe. Floodplains are of tremendous importance as they can permanently remove nitrate (NO) from the environment by releasing reactive N to the atmosphere in its gaseous forms (NO, N) during denitrification. However, the quantitative assessment of this ecosystem function is still challenging, particularly on the national level.

The potential of large floodplains to remove nitrate in river basins - The Danube case.

Floodplains remove nitrate from rivers through denitrification and thus improve water quality. The Danube River Basin (DRB) has been affected by elevated nitrate concentrations and a massive loss of intact floodplains and the ecosystem services they provide. Restoration measures intend to secure and improve these valuable ecosystem services, including nitrate removal.

River water infiltration enhances denitrification efficiency in riparian groundwater.

Nitrate contamination in ground- and surface water is a persistent problem in countries with intense agriculture. The transition zone between rivers and their riparian aquifers, where river water and groundwater interact, may play an important role in mediating nitrate exports, as it can facilitate intensive denitrification, which permanently removes nitrate from the aquatic system. However, the in-situ factors controlling riparian denitrification are not fully understood, as they are often strongly linked and their effects superimpose each other.