nitrate

Umwelt-Indikator

Indicator: Nitrate in groundwater

A graph shows the proportion of groundwater sampling sites where nitrate measurements for the years 2008 to 2022 were above 25 and 50 milligrams per litre. In the period covered, neither sub-indicator has shown any significant change.

The European Nitrates Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the German Groundwater and Drinking Water Ordinances require that exceedances of the limit value for nitrate of 50 milligrams per liter be prevented.Since 2008, the quality standard has been exceeded every year at almost one in six measuring points.Extensive changes to the fertilizer legislation have allowed the designation of particul... read more

Air

Reactive nitrogen

Annual nitrogen inputs into the German environment – sectoral percentages of total inputs 1995-2014

Reactive nitrogen, unlike nonreactive molecular nitrogen (N2), is in a great many organic and inorganic substance compounds and of vital importance to all life processes. The availability of reactive nitrogen often limits plant growth, which is why sufficient supply of reactive nitrogen is so important in food production. If excessive amounts of reactive nitrogen are deposited to the environment,... read more

News on Soil | Land

Environment and agriculture – Overview for Germany

Ein Feld mit Gräsern und Blüten

More than half of Germany's surface area is used for agriculture. Agriculture thus is the largest land user in Germany and a significant contributor to environmental stress. On the other hand, agriculture is also affected, for example, by the effects of climate change. In the flyer "Environment and agriculture 2018" UBA presents key facts about agriculture and environment. read more

Water

Nutrients in watercourses

Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients for aquatic plants (algae, macrophytes). Their high concentration causes excessive growth especially of algae (Eutrophication). Rivers transport nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes and North sea and Baltic sea and influence its nutrient concentration. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment