Advancing Watershed Legacy Nitrogen Modeling to Improve Global Water Quality

Despite widespread implementation of watershed nitrogen reduction programs across the globe, nitrogen levels in many surface waters remain high. Watershed legacy nitrogen storage, i.e., the long-term retention of nitrogen in soils and groundwater, is one of several explanations for this lack of progress. However scientists and water managers are ill-equipped to estimate how legacy nitrogen moderates in-stream nitrogen responses to land conservation practices, largely because modeling tools and associated long-term monitoring approaches to answering these questions remain inadequate. We demonstrate the need for improved watershed models to simulate legacy nitrogen processes and offer modeling solutions to support long-term nitrogen-based sustainable land management across the globe.

Automated summary

Despite widespread implementation of watershed nitrogen reduction programs, high nitrogen levels in surface waters remain. The long-term retention of nitrogen in soils and groundwater, known as watershed legacy nitrogen storage, is one factor contributing to this issue. However, scientists and water managers lack proper tools and monitoring approaches to understand how legacy nitrogen influences in-stream nitrogen responses to land conservation practices. We argue for improved watershed models and propose modeling solutions to facilitate long-term nitrogen-based sustainable land management globally.