---
res:
  bibo_abstract:
  - "Alpine grasslands sustain local economy by providing fodder for livestock. Intensive
    fertilization is common to enhance their yields, thus creating negative externalities
    on water quality that are difficult to evaluate without reliable estimates of
    nutrient fluxes. We apply a mechanistic ecosystem model, seamlessly integrating
    land-surface energy balance, soil hydrology, vegetation dynamics, and soil biogeochemistry,
    aiming at assessing the grassland response to fertilization. We simulate the major
    water, carbon, nutrient, and energy fluxes of nine grassland plots across the
    broad European Alpine region. We provide an interdisciplinary model evaluation
    by confirming its performance against observed variables from different datasets.
    Subsequently, we apply the model to test the influence of fertilization practices
    on grassland yields and nitrate (NO3) losses through leaching under both current
    and modified climate scenarios.\r\n\r\nDespite the generally low NO3 concentration
    in groundwater recharge, the variability across sites is remarkable, which is
    mostly (but not exclusively) dictated by elevation. In high-Alpine sites, short
    growing seasons lead to less efficient nitrogen (N) uptake for biomass production.
    This combined with lower evapotranspiration rates results in higher amounts of
    drainage and NO3 leaching to groundwater. Scenarios with increased temperature
    lead to a longer growing season characterized by higher biomass production and,
    consequently, to a reduction of water leakage and N leaching. While the intersite
    variability is maintained, climate change impacts are stronger on sites at higher
    elevations.\r\n\r\nThe local soil hydrology has a crucial role in driving the
    NO3 use efficiency. The commonly applied fixed threshold limit on fertilizer N
    input is suboptimal. We suggest that major hydrological and soil property differences
    across sites should be considered in the delineation of best practices or regulations
    for management. Using distributed maps informed with key soil and climatic attributes
    or systematically implementing integrated ecosystem models as shown here can contribute
    to achieving more sustainable practices.@eng"
  bibo_authorlist:
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Martina
      foaf_name: Botter, Martina
      foaf_surname: Botter
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Matthias
      foaf_name: Zeeman, Matthias
      foaf_surname: Zeeman
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Paolo
      foaf_name: Burlando, Paolo
      foaf_surname: Burlando
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Simone
      foaf_name: Fatichi, Simone
      foaf_surname: Fatichi
      foaf_workInfoHomepage: http://www.librecat.org/personId=cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  bibo_doi: 10.5194/bg-18-1917-2021
  bibo_issue: '6'
  bibo_volume: 18
  dct_date: 2021^xs_gYear
  dct_isPartOf:
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1726-4170
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1726-4189
  dct_language: eng
  dct_publisher: Copernicus Publications@
  dct_title: 'Impacts of fertilization on grassland productivity and water quality
    across the European Alps under current and warming climate: insights from a mechanistic
    model@'
...