Variazioni recenti dello stato trofico delle acque costiere dell’Emilia-Romagna in relazione alle pressioni antropiche e ai carichi dei nutrienti nel bacino del Po

This study aims at analyzing relationships among nutrient loadings from the Po river and water quality and trophic status of coastal waters of the Emilia-Romagna region over the last decades. Four main points are addressed: 1) spatial distribution and time evolution of land uses and associated N and P budgets in the Po river watershed; 2) long-term trajectories of the reactive N and P loadings exported from the Po river; 3) identification of major changes in the watershed which affected water quality and loadings in the Po river; 4) trends of N, P and phytoplankton chlorophyll loadings in the coastal waters of the Emilia Romagna region, under the influence of the Po river runoff.