title: Nutrient budgets for European seas: a measure of the effectiveness of nutrient reduction policies.
abstract: Socio-economic development in Europe has exerted increasing pressure on the marine environment. Eutrophication, caused by nutrient enrichment, is evident in regions of all European seas. Its severity varies but has, in places, adversely impacted socio-economic activities. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of recently adopted policies to reduce anthropogenic nutrient inputs to European seas. Nitrogen and phosphorus budgets were constructed for three different periods (prior to severe eutrophication, during severe eutrophication and contemporary) to capture changes in the relative importance of different nutrient sources in four European seas suffering from eutrophication (Baltic Proper, coastal North Sea, Northern Adriatic and North-Western Black Sea Shelf). Policy success is evident for point sources, notably for P in the Baltic and North Seas, but reduction of diffuse sources has been more problematic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Processes of the Engineering - University of Padua, Padua, Italy. yuri.artioli@unipd.it
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Artioli
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McQuatters-Gollop
authors.forename: Laurence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Mee
authors.forename: Jan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Vermaat
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Humborg
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palmeri
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pollehne
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe; D005068:Eutrophication / Q000502:physiology*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen