Groundwater-dependent ecosystems as transfer vectors of nitrogen from the aquifer to surface waters in agricultural basins: The fontanili of the Po Plain (Italy)

The most spread groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the River Po valley are semi-natural lowland springs called “fontanili”. They provide specific habitats and support high biodiversity, but are often strongly impaired by agricultural pollution. In the present study we seasonally monitored the discharge and nitrogen concentration of 48 fontanili from the Adda and the Ticino river basins. We observed a wide spatial variability of both NO3-N concentrations and flows. The annual NO3-N loads ranged from