Edinburgh, 10-15 April 2011 | Juerg Heldstab INFRAS, Beat Achermann FOEN

Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

Switzerland’s nitrogen budget

Inhabitants 2005: 7.5 mio.

Area42’000 km2

forests 31% agriculture 24%

alpine pasture 16%

settlement 7%

Agricul. productsmilk 4 mio. t

meat 0.4 mio t

plants 28 mio. t

Switzerland

EditorsSwiss Fed. Office for the Environment, Swiss Fed. of Agriculture

(publ. 1997, only in German available)

AuthorsProject group „Swiss N Budget“

MeaningImportant milestone for Switzerland‘s environmental protect. policy,

Part of the national strategy to reduce nitrogen emissions

Issues

• ecological targets

(N deposition, O3 precursors, nitrate in water systems)

• all important N flows 1994

• emission reduction measures / scenarios for major N source categories

• recommendations to policy makers

Switzerland’s first N budget 1994

Authors, EditorINFRAS (J. Heldstab, J. Reutiman) in cooperation with R. Biedermann and D. Leu on behalf of the Swiss Fed. Office for the Environment FOEN

Report “Stickstoffflüsse in der Schweiz”, FOEN, UW 1018 (2010)http://www.bafu.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en

Issues

• current N regulations and ecological targets

• N flows 2005

• trends 1994-2005 and interpretation

Switzerland’s second N budget 2005

N budget Switzerland 2005 total flow in 1000 t N / apure N2 flows as part of total N flow

BAFU UW Nr. 1018 (2010)

Matrix representation of N balance 2005

subsystems to

agric/for envir prod/con waste export

from

agric/forest 131 47 <1 2

environment 92 25 0 130

prod/consump. <1 33 49 13

waste 4 46 2 0

import 84 59 28 0

kt N

Matrix representation of N balance 2005

subsystems to

agric/for envir prod/con waste export

from

agric/forest 131 47 <1 2

environment 92 25 0 130

prod/consump. <1 33 49 13

waste 4 46 2 0

import 84 59 28 0

control

+Σ IN (columns) 180 269 102 49 600

−Σ OUT (rows) -180 -247 -95 -52 -574

- stock change -4 -13 0 0 -17

Sum -4 9 7 -3 9

Diff w.respect IN -2.2% 3.3% 6.9% -6.1% 1.5%

uncertainty 9.8% 5.3% 12% 17% 8.7%

kt N

kt N

Switzerland: imports and exports

Switzerland is a net importernet import 2005: 26 kt N => 3.5 kg N per inhabitant

subsystem N flow imports exports net

kt N kt N kt N

Agriculture/Forestry

wood 2 -2

fodder 32 32

mineral fertilizer 52 52

other Production/Consumption

food 25 13 12

fuels 1 1

wood 2 2

Environment

atmosphere 44 56 -12

rivers 15 73 -58

groundwater 1 -1

total 171 145 26

increase of stocks 17 -17

unbalanced 9 -9

sum (control) 171 171 0

Trends 1994-2005

0

20

40

60

80

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

kt N

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

kt N

020406080

19

90

20

03

N-fixation

deposition

imported fodder

mineral fertilizer

kt N

vegetable products

animal products

manure (liquid and solid)

Inputs agriculture

Outputs agriculture

(Spiess, 2009)

(Spiess, 2008)

Agricultural N balance (OSPAR)

Inputs and outputs 1994 2005 change

kt N kt N %

Input

imported animal feed 26 32 23%

mineral fertilizer 59 52 -12%

sewage sludge, compost 7 4 -43%

deposition on agric. solis 31 27 -13%

N fixation 37 32 -14%

Sum IN 160 147 -8%

Output

vegetable products 10 10 0%

animal products 28 35 25%

Summe Out 38 45 18%

losses (IN-OUT) 122 102 -16%

N efficiency (OUT / IN) 24% 31%

(Spiess, 2009; BAFU, 2010)

Atmospheric N balance 2005

import + emission123 kt N1994/2005: -17%

export + deposition125 kt N1994/2005: -17%

(Meteotest/BAFU, 2009)

Emission trends 1994-2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

kt N

Emissions in atmosphere

00

0

19

90

NOx

NH3

N2O

Export via waterflow

04080120

19

95

20

05outflow (m3/s)

mean discharge (kt N)

discharge kt N

0

40

80

120

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

0

400

800

1200

1600

outflow (m3/s)

(FOEN, 2009;

Agrammon 2009)

(NADUF 2008)

Exceedance of environmental targets (1)

Ambient NO2 concentrationlimit value (30 µg/m3) exceeded in cities / along highways (2010)

Zurich metropolitan area:

INFRAS/FOEN (2011)

above

limit

Exceedance of environmental targets (2)

Critical loadsexceedances of critical N load in 2007 (kg N per hectare per year)

CLnutN = Critical Loads for Nitrogen for forest ecosystems (mass balance method, UNECE Mapping Manual)

CLempN = Empirical Critical Loads for Nitrogen for (semi)natural ecosystems (UNECE Mapping Manual).

Exceedance of environmental targets (3)

Limit for nitrate concentration in groundwater: < 25 mg/lt

(BAFU, 2009)

Exceedance of environmental targets (4)

N input to surface waters for the Rhine catchment area,PARCOM recommendation 88/2 of 17 June 1988: 50% reduction within 1985-1995

N reduction achieved between 1985 and 2001 for the Rhine catchment:

(Prasuhn/Sieber, 2005)

target 1985-1995 reduction achieved until 2001

-50% -23%

Benefits of the budgets

Communication

Comprehensive tool for visualisation and communication between science, administration, policy makers, media, interested people

Integrated view

Budget brings all fluxes together – synthesis!

Interdependence: change of a flux changes other fluxes

Effect of sectorial policy will influence other sectors and their policies

Quantification of “difficult” fluxes

Driving fluxes are in general easy to quantify, whereas induced fluxes

(leaching) may be difficult: balance equation may help for estimation

Time development

Success /failure of environmental policies may be visualised in a integrated representation (pollution swapping!)A budget for 2005 may help for scenarios/projections for 2020

Challenges to build up N budgets

Coordination

between environment, agriculture, transport, waste,…

Data

missing data or different values for same flowsmissing knowledge of uncertaintiesverification is complex, laborious and expensive

Methods

different definitions of subsystems/processes complicate budgeting

annual values versus means over several years or versus short term

monitoring

Interannual comparison

incompatibilities caused by switching methods

inconsistent time series (e.g. dislocation of measurement sites)

Outlook

Nitrogen scenarios for Switzerland 2020/2030

ongoing project Federal Office for the Environment

Expert Panel on Nitrogen Budget (provides expert guidance to the Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen)

Excel tool for national N budgets (A. Leipp, JRC Ispra)

further development towards a dynamic tool => see Poster by Adrian Leipp

… coffee break

thank you for your attention!

some reports of Switzerland’s nitrogen budget are available

(in German only!)

see also http://www.bafu.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en

juerg.heldstab@infras.ch - www.infras.ch

Switzerland 2005 (2005)

Switzerland 2005-all Data derived from BAFU 2010 (Stoffflussanalyse Stickstoff Schweiz 2005)

Unit: kt N/year all Data derived from BAFU 2010 (Stoffflussanalyse Stickstoff Schweiz 2005)

Industry and Energy

Transport

Surface waters

and groundwater

Ground waters

Coastal zones

Sewage

Solid Waste

HYDROSPHERE

Agricult.soils

Atmosphere

Livestock

(Semi-)

natural

terrestrial

ecosystems

© J

RC

/AL

,29.1

0.2

01

0

N-f

ix25

N2O

0.7

5

NH

30

.39

No

x7

Min. fert.: 52

N2

O0.3

NH

31.1

NO

X17

Settlements 11

N2

O0

.83

N2O

3.1

N2

28

NH

3

41

NH

36.4

NO

x1.3

Import food/feed: 12

Manure: 86.3

Manure export: 0.5

BN

F

32

Total production: 177

Feed: 132

Leaching/Runoff34

compost

3.2

BN

F

5.1

20

Nto

t8.8

1.6

Change in forest

stock: 4

54

River Import: 15

River Export: 73.7

Lake Sediments: 13

6.6

NH

30

.41

NO

x0

.75

N2O

0.2

8

0.02

2.2

43

N2O

0.4

7

NH

30

.09

N2

12

Wastewater28

Sludge

1

1.3

wastewater direct from industry/households: 2.2

N2

11

Nd

ep

27

Nd

ep

28

Nd

ep

2.8

Nd

ep

se

ttle

men

ts1

1

Nred import25

Nox import19

Nred export31

Nox export24

Min. fert.: 52

Feed import: 32

Use in industry: 3.9

Con-

sumers

Terrestr. ecosystems

Transcription to Adrian Leip’s tool JRC/EPNB

see also Adrian Leip’s poster here in Edinburgh in S13!

Switzerland’s N budget 2005 total flow in 1000 t N / apure N2 flows as part of total N flow

Switzerland’s N budget 1994

BUWAL SRU Nr. 273 (1997)