JRC Data Catalogue
DATASETCompleted

Scenarios of nitrogen and phosphorus diffuse sources in European freshwater (v. mar.2019)

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Spatial dataset consisting of scenarios of annual nutrient diffuse sources emissions estimated at freshwater functional elementary catchments level and considered in the model GREEN (Grizzetti et al., 2012; March 2019 version) according to four European nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) management scenarios:

1. Reference – REF: historical conditions (year 2012)

2. Business as Usual – BAU: implementation of current level of investments in water protection foreseen under Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) and the Rural Development Programme.

3. Nutrient Scenario – NUTR: includes a full or enhanced implementation of two EU Directives, the UWWTD for collecting and treating wastewater from urban agglomerations, and the Nitrates Directive to protect freshwater from agricultural pollution.

4. High Technically Feasible Reduction – MTFR: assumes all wastewaters in the EU are treated at the maximum level of nutrient reduction currently possible, while mineral fertilisers are applied to an optimal level.

Diffuse sources of nutrients comprise agriculture (mineral and organic fertilization), nitrogen fixation by crops and in soils, nitrogen atmospheric deposition, phosphorus releases from natural areas, and scattered dwellings.

The river basin hydrological data model is based on Catchment Characterisation and Modelling (Vogt et al., 2007; https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/fe1878e8-7541-4c66-8453-afdae7469221) as well as the European catchments and river network system (Ecrins , version 1 - European Environment Agency)

Contributors

How to cite

Grizzetti, Bruna; Vigiak, Olga; Udias Moinelo, Angel; Aloe, Alberto; Zanni, Michela; Bouraoui, Faycal; Pistocchi, Alberto; Dorati, Chiara; Friedland, Rene; De Roo, Ad; Benitez Sanz, Carlos; Leip, Adrian; Bielza, Maria (2026): Scenarios of nitrogen and phosphorus diffuse sources in European freshwater (v. mar.2019). European Commission, Joint Research Centre [Dataset] doi: 10.2905/JRC.68C7G38 PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/0d0c374c-1843-4a1e-9ca2-0197956c9114

Data access

Esri File Geodatabase

GDB is an Esri's file-based geodatabase format, stored as folders in a file system. It shall be used for Esri file geodatabases. The file is a zip archive that contains the gdb directory.

Downloadable file

A downloadable file for the dataset.

Use conditions
European Commission reuse notice

According to the European Commission reuse notice, reuse is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by the Decision of 12 December 2011. The general principle of reuse can be subject to conditions which may be specified in individual copyright notices. Therefore users are advised to refer to the copyright notices of the individual websites maintained under Europa and of the individual documents. Reuse is not applicable to documents subject to intellectual property rights of third parties.

Access conditions
No limitations

Anybody can directly and anonymously access the data, without being required to register or authenticate.

  • File geodatabase distribution containing the following classes:

    1. Main table class greenFecDiffuseSourcesSComp_vrsMar2019 containing records of scenario specific annual diffuse source emissions (nitrogen and phosphorus) for Ecrins functional elementary catchments.

    2. Feature class C_ZHYD containing a subset of ECRINS (EEA) functional elementary catchment geometries to be linked to previous table class via primary/foreign key ZHYD

    Refer to item specific geodatabase metadata (also available in pdf format inside download package) for more information

Publications

Publication
Grizzetti, B., Vigiak, O., Udias, A., Aloe, A., Zanni, M., Bouraoui, F., Pistocchi, A., Dorati, C., Friedland, R., De Roo, A., Benitez Sanz, C., Leip, A., Bielza, M., 2021. How EU policies could reduce nutrient pollution in European inland and coastal waters. Global Environmental Change 69, 10228

Spatial coverage

Temporal coverage

From date To date
2012-01-01 2012-12-31

Additional information

Published by
European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Contact email
EU-HUB-WATER-AGRICULTURE (at) ec.europa.eu
Update frequency
irregular

The event occurs at uneven intervals.

Data theme(s)
Agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food

dataset theme covering the domains of agriculture which involves the cultivation of plants and livestock; fisheries which focuses on the harvesting of fish from wild or farmed sources; forestry which relates to the management and conservation of forests and woodlands; and food which includes substances that provide nutritional support to organisms

Environment

dataset theme covering the domain of environment, defined as the interaction of all living species, climate, weather, and natural resources that impact human survival and economic activity

Health

dataset theme covering the domain of health which includes health conditions, diseases, treatments, healthcare services, and health policies

Geographical name(s)
Issued date
2020-10-12
Created date
23 Nov 2020 10:12
Modified date
17 Feb 2026 16:02
Dataset identifier
Other identifiers
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