The NO3EXCESS workflow is developed through four main activities:

- field measurements will allow the identification of the main biogeochemical processes controlling the N cycle and the construction of a detailed hydrological conceptual model (WP1);

- laboratory experiments will deepen the understanding of the processes operating in the field sites and allow their quantification to close the water and N budgets (WP2);

- numerical modelling will contribute to the validation of the conceptual model through an iterative approach using 2D reactive transport models and 3D groundwater flow models. This approach will provide a point-by-point estimate of the export of water and N species to the lagoon, clarifying and quantifying the contribution of groundwater to the N cycle (WP3);

- the review of the available information will allow an assessment of the environmental and economic feasibility of different restoration strategies to control eutrophication and reduce GHG emissions in lowland coastal irrigated areas, with a particular focus on the conservative management of aquatic vegetation in the canal network as a tool for nitrate mitigation (WP4).