As an important part of biogeochemical cycling, the nitrogen cycle modulates terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage, water consumption, and environmental quality. Modeling the complex interactions between nitrogen, carbon and water at a regional scale remains challenging. Using China as a testbed, this study presents the first application of the nitrogen-augmented community Noah land surface model with multi-parameterization options (Noah-MP-CN) at the regional scale. Noah-MP-CN parameterizes the constraints of nitrogen availability on photosynthesis based on the Fixation and Uptake of Nitrogen plant nitrogen model and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool soil nitrogen model. The impacts of nitrogen dynamics on the terrestrial carbon and water cycles are investigated by comparing the simulations with those from the original Noah-MP. The results show that incorporating nitrogen dynamics improves the carbon cycle simulations. Noah-MP-CN outperforms Noah-MP in reproducing leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) for most of China, especially in the southern warm and humid regions, while the hydrological simulations only exhibit slight improvements in soil moisture and evapotranspiration. The impacts of fertilizer application over cropland on carbon fixation, water consumption and nitrogen leaching are investigated through a trade-off analysis. Compared to halved fertilizer use, the actual quantity of application increases GPP and water consumption by only 1.97% and 0.43%, respectively; however, the nitrogen leaching is increased by 5.35%. This indicates that the current level of fertilizer use is a potential concern for degrading the environment.