The Aqua-N2O project tackles a critical gap in understanding agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. It focuses on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions that arise from nitrogen fertilizer runoff into water bodies. A significant portion of fertilizer applied to agricultural fields is not taken up by crops, and this excess nitrogen leaches through soil into water systems. During transport, nitrogen can transform into N2O, a potent greenhouse gas with serious climate impacts. These N2O emissions are estimated at 5% of the agricultural sector's total greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark, but this number is highly uncertain due to a lack of empirical data on these emissions and poor existing models for estimating them.

The primary objective of Aqua-N2O is to identify the drivers of aquatic emissions of N2O to provide the scientific basis for modelling these emissions at regional level using high-frequency in-situ sensor monitoring. This model will be crucial for evaluating mitigation strategies to reduce agricultural N2O emissions.