Nutrients state and trend for the Danish water bodies from 35 years with national monitoring

The national monitoring program for water and nature, NOVANA has over the last 35 years produced data on water quality and quantity. NOVANA includes groundwater, surface water in streams and lakes and marine coastal waters, but also wastewater, species, nature etc.
NOVANA was launched in 1989 before the implementation of the Nitrates Directive and the Water Frame Directive (WFD) and has continuously adapted to align with EU-monitoring obligations.
Nitrate in groundwater together with the deteriorated ecological conditions in many lakes and marine areas caused by excessive inputs of Nitrogen and Phosphorous are major issues of concern in Denmark. On a national scale, the Nitrates directive, the WFD and other national political objectives have played important roles for consecutive national action plans aiming to reduce leaching and transport of Nitrogen and Phosphorous to the aquatic environment.
In the first part of the monitoring period, a clear response from the action plans was seen in Nitrate concentration in groundwater and in the transport of Nitrogen and Phosphorous to lakes and marine areas. The positive development has, however, levelled out during the recent 15-20 years in both groundwater and surface waters. And in addition to this, temperature increases have counteracted expected improvements in the marine environment from obtained nutrient reductions.
The objectives in the WFD are therefore still not met in most of the Danish water bodies and further political initiatives need to include excess nutrient transport associated with climatic changes as increase in temperature and precipitation and the occurrence of more extreme climatic events such as drought and heavy rainfall. We will present the nutrient state and trend for the Danish water bodies, demonstrate the effects of implemented mitigation measures and briefly address the future challenge to
incorporate effects of climate change.