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Large-scale patterns of river inputs in southwestern Europe: seasonal and interannual variations and potential eutrophication effects at the coastal zone

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Abstract

We provide data on nutrient export for 28 rivers in southwestern Europe and analyze long-term changes in the context of anthropogenic pressures and regulation policies. Special attention is given to seasonal variations, because the integrated annual values that are usually provided do not allow us to establish comparisons with seasonal phytoplankton dynamics. The eutrophication risk associated with river inputs is addressed by means of an indicator (Index of Coastal Eutrophication Potential, ICEP, Billen and Garnier, Mar Chem 106:148–160, 2007). An overview of the temporal evolution and the intra-annual variability of the ICEP is discussed for specific rivers and integrated coastal regions. The annual dynamics of the eutrophication indicator is analyzed to delimit those periods when the risk of eutrophication is particularly high. The trends in nutrient fluxes and coastal phytoplankton are compared by means of a case study (Seine Bay). The decrease in phosphorus matches a general decrease in phytoplankton biomass in the summer. However, sustained high values of nitrogen still foster the emergence of harmful algal blooms, and we found an increase in the summer abundance of dinoflagellates. The abatement of phosphorus alone is not enough to shortcut harmful blooms and toxic outbreaks in the Seine Bay. A reduction in nitrogen inputs may be necessary to effectively minimize eutrophication problems.

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Acknowledgments

The Federation Ile-de-France for Research on the Environment (FIRE FR3020 CNRS & UPMC) is acknowledged for the CNRS post-doc grant provided to Estela Romero and for the interdisciplinary research framework provided during this study. Luis Lassaletta was funded by an Exchange Grant of the “Nitrogen in Europe: assessment of current problems and future solutions” (NinE) program (European Science Foundation) and a research post-doc grant from the Paris City Council (Research in Paris). The study was funded by the French project NEREIS (GIP-Seine Aval, http://seine-aval.crihan.fr/web/), by the FP7 European AWARE project (http://www.aware-eu.net/) and by the French project PASTEK (GIS-Climat, http://www.gisclimat.fr/). We are grateful to the national water authorities in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium for kindly providing data on river flow and water quality. We are also grateful to the IFREMER for providing valuable information on coastal phytoplankton. The RHLN network is funded by the Agence de l’Eau Seine Normandie and the Région Basse Normandie. We thank B. Grizzetti for kindly reviewing the manuscript and for the useful comments and suggestions. We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and useful comments.

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Romero, E., Garnier, J., Lassaletta, L. et al. Large-scale patterns of river inputs in southwestern Europe: seasonal and interannual variations and potential eutrophication effects at the coastal zone. Biogeochemistry 113, 481–505 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9778-0

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