Impact of agriculture and land use on nitrate contamination in groundwater and running waters in central-west Poland

Protected areas due to their long-term protection are expected to be characterized by good water quality. However, in catchments where arable fields dominate, the impact of agriculture on water pollution is still problematic. In Poland, recently, the fertilization level has decreased, mostly for economic reasons. However, this applies primarily to phosphorus and potassium. In order to evaluate the impact of agriculture on water quality in a protected area with a high proportion of arable fields in the aspect of level and type of fertilization, complex monitoring has been applied. The present study was carried out in Wielkopolska National Park and its buffer zone, which are protected under Natura 2000 as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. The aim of the study were (1) to assess the impact of agriculture, with special attention on fertilization, on groundwater, and running water quality and (2) to designate priority areas for implementing nitrogen reduction measures in special attention on protected areas. In our study, high nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and surface waters were detected in the agricultural catchments. The results demonstrate that in the watersheds dominated by arable fields, high nitrogen concentrations in groundwater were measured in comparison to forestry catchments, where high ammonium concentrations were observed. The highest nitrogen concentrations were noted in spring after winter freezing, with a small cover of vegetation, and in the areas with a high level of nitrogen application. In the studied areas, both in the park and its buffer zone, unfavorable N:P and N:K ratios in supplied nutrients were detected. Severe shortage of phosphorus and potassium in applied fertilizers is one of the major factors causing leaching of nitrogen due to limited possibilities of its consumption by plants.     

Monitoring of the total content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in arable soils in Poland

The paper provides comprehensive information on the level of contamination of arable soils in Poland with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Extensive monitoring studies were carried out to determine the content of the 16 priority PAHs in 216 soil samples collected in 2005 throughout arable lands (0-20 cm layer) in Poland. Locations of sampling points reflected the differences in regional industrialisation and urbanisation as well as in the characteristics of soils. The content of Sigma16PAHs ranged from 80 to 7264 microg kg(-1) with a median of 395 microg kg(-1) and with a dominance of 4-6 rings hydrocarbons (74% of total PAHs). Soil properties affected the PAHs content to a limited extend. The organic matter content was the only parameter correlated significantly (although weakly) with the concentrations of Sigma16PAHs; the strength of this relationship was more pronounced in soils with elevated OM content. The various molecular markers pointed to a prevailing pyrogenic origin of the PAHs in Polish arable soils, with minor contribution from liquid fuels combustion and traffic emissions. Two different Polish systems for classification of agricultural soils (providing for the content of Sigma9PAHs and Sigma13PAHs) indicate that the percentage of contaminated arable soils in Poland does not exceed 10%. Multivariate methods enabled an evaluation of spatial trends in Sigma16PAHs concentrations, an identification of regions with very low PAHs content (East part of the country), and a recognition of small industrial/urbanised areas of higher risk.     

Atmospheric nitrogen fluxes at the Belgian coast: 2004–2006

Daily and seasonal variations in dry and wet atmospheric nitrogen fluxes have been studied during four campaigns between 2004 and 2006 at a coastal site of the Southern North Sea at De Haan (Belgium) located at coordinates of 51.1723° N and 3.0369° E. Concentrations of inorganic N-compounds were determined in the gaseous phase, size-segregated aerosol (coarse, medium, and fine), and rainwater samples. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was quantified in rainwater. The daily variations in N-fluxes of compounds were evaluated with air-mass backward trajectories, classified into the main air-masses arriving at the sampling site (i.e., continental, North Sea, and Atlantic/UK/Channel).The three, non-episodic campaigns showed broadly consistent fluxes, but during the late summer campaign exceptionally high episodic N-deposition was observed. The average dry and wet fluxes for non-episodic campaigns amounted to 2.6 and 4.0 mg N m^?2 d^?1, respectively, whereas during the episodic late summer period these fluxes were as high as 5.2 and 6.2 mg N m^?2 d^?1, respectively.Non-episodic seasons/campaigns experienced average aerosol fluxes of 0.9–1.4 mg N m^?2 d^?1. Generally, the contribution of aerosol NH₄⁺ was more significant in the medium and fine particulate fractions than that of aerosol NO₃^?, whereas the latter contributed more in the coarse fraction, especially in continental air-masses. During the dry mid-summer campaign, the DON contributed considerably (～15%) to the total N-budget.Exceptionally high episodic aerosol-N inputs have been observed for the late summer campaign, with especially high deposition rates of 3.6 and 2.9 mg N m^?2 d^?1 for Atlantic/UK/Channel and North Sea-continental (mixed) air-masses, respectively. During this pollution episode, the flux of NH₄⁺ was dominating in each aerosol fraction/air-mass, except for coarse continental aerosols. High deposition of gaseous-N was also observed in this campaign with an average total N-flux of 2–2.5-times higher than in other campaigns.     

Significance of the long-term biomonitoring studies for understanding the impact of pollutants on the environment based on a synthesis of 25-year biomonitoring in the Holy Cross Mountains,Poland

This review presents compiled results of complex biomonitoring studies that have been conducted in the Holy Cross Mountains, south-central part of Poland, since the 1990s. The significance of these studies results from several aspects: (i) a number and a variety of plant organisms used, e.g., mosses, lichens, coniferous and deciduous trees, and their tissues (wood, bark, needles, leaves, the aboveground parts of several vascular plants); (ii) applications of a broad scope of instrumental methods aiming at determining major and trace elements (including rare earth elements), organic compounds (PAHs, PCBs, phenols), and stable sulfur isotopes (δ³⁴S); and (iii) different methodological and environmental issues addressed. The comparison and interpretation of results derived from seventeen sampling campaigns carried out between 1994 and 2017 are a valuable source of information on the following: (i) bioaccumulative properties of organisms used in air quality monitoring, (ii) identification and variations of local and regional pollution sources and geochemical landscape patterns and processes over years, and (iii) establishing environmental factors that variously affected chemical composition of plants growing under physiological stress, including roadside vegetation and plants from acid mine drainage areas.

     

Fate and effects of metal-based nanoparticles in two marine invertebrates,the bivalve mollusc Scrobicularia plana and the annelid polychaete Hediste diversicolor

The objective of this paper is to synthesize results from seven published research papers employing different experimental approaches to evaluate the fate of metal-based nanoparticles (Ag NPs, Au NPs, CuO NPs, CdS NPs, ZnO NPs) in the marine environment and their effects on two marine endobenthic species, the bivalve Scrobicularia plana and the ragworm Hediste diversicolor. The experiments were carried out under laboratory (microcosms) conditions or under environmentally realistic conditions in outdoor mesocosms. Based on results from these seven papers, we addressed the following research questions: (1) How did the environment into which nanoparticles were released affect their physicochemical properties?, (2) How did the route of exposure (seawater, food, sediment) influence bioaccumulation and effects?, (3) Which biomarkers were the most responsive? and (4) Which tools were the most efficient to evaluate the fate and effects of NPs in the marine environment? The obtained results showed that metal‐based NPs in general were highly agglomerated/aggregated in seawater. DGT tools could be used to estimate the bioavailability of metals released from NPs under soluble form in the aquatic environment. Both metal forms (nanoparticulate, soluble) were generally bioaccumulated in both species. Among biochemical tools, GST and CAT were the most sensitive revealing the enhancement of anti-oxidant defenses in both species exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of metal-based NPs. Apoptosis and genotoxicity were frequently observed.     

Biophysical suitability,economic pressure and land-cover change: a global probabilistic approach and insights for REDD+

There has been a concerted effort by the international scientific community to understand the multiple causes and patterns of land-cover change to support sustainable land management. Here, we examined biophysical suitability, and a novel integrated index of “Economic Pressure on Land” (EPL) to explain land cover in the year 2000, and estimated the likelihood of future land-cover change through 2050, including protected area effectiveness. Biophysical suitability and EPL explained almost half of the global pattern of land cover (R ² = 0.45), increasing to almost two-thirds in areas where a long-term equilibrium is likely to have been reached (e.g. R ² = 0.64 in Europe). We identify a high likelihood of future land-cover change in vast areas with relatively lower current and past deforestation (e.g. the Congo Basin). Further, we simulated emissions arising from a “business as usual” and two reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scenarios by incorporating data on biomass carbon. As our model incorporates all biome types, it highlights a crucial aspect of the ongoing REDD + debate: if restricted to forests, “cross-biome leakage” would severely reduce REDD + effectiveness for climate change mitigation. If forests were protected from deforestation yet without measures to tackle the drivers of land-cover change, REDD + would only reduce 30 % of total emissions from land-cover change. Fifty-five percent of emissions reductions from forests would be compensated by increased emissions in other biomes. These results suggest that, although REDD + remains a very promising mitigation tool, implementation of complementary measures to reduce land demand is necessary to prevent this leakage.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls in cord blood from women in Poland

The purpose of this study was to assess human exposure in the prenatal period to selected PBDEs (BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-153) and PCBs (CB-77, CB-101, CB-118, CB-126, CB-138, CB-153, CB-170, CB-180) basing on the analysis of these compounds in cord blood. The experimental material consisted of 89 cord blood samples taken from women resident in Warsaw and its vicinity. In over 90% of all tested samples the presence of congeners CB-153, CB-138, CB-180 and BDE-47 was identified. The least frequently found were CB-126 and BDE-153, which were present at relatively low concentration levels. Among all analysed PCBs, the highest average concentrations were found in the case of congeners CB-138 (11.8 ng/g of fat) and CB-153 (43.4 ng/g of fat), whereas the lowest was in the case of CB-170 (0.4 ng/g of fat) and CB-126 (0.1 ng/g of fat). In the case of PBDEs the greatest share in the total concentration was that of the congeners BDE-47 and BDE-99, whereas the smallest share was that of the higher brominated congener BDE-153. These results suggest that human exposure to the examined compounds begins already in the period of intrauterine life. The comparison of our own results with the findings of other authors indicates that the PCBs and PBDEs levels in cord blood of women living in Poland do not differ from the respective concentrations in cord blood of other female inhabitants of Europe.     

Treatment of high-ammonium anaerobic digester supernatant by aerobic granular sludge and ultrafiltration processes

Anaerobic sludge digester supernatant characterized by 569 mg TKN L^?1, high color and a COD/N ratio of 1.4 was treated in granular sequencing batch reactors (GSBRs) followed by post-denitrification (P-D) and ultrafiltration (UF) steps. The use of granular sludge allowed for the oxidation of ammonium in anaerobic digester supernatant at all investigated GSBR cycle lengths of 6, 8 and 12 h. The highest ammonium removal rate (15 mg N g^?1 VSS h^?1) with removal efficiency of 99% was noted at 8 h.Since the GSBR effluent was characterized by a high concentration of nitrites, slowly-degradable substances and biomass, additional purification steps were applied. In P-D stage, the microbial activity of granular biomass in the GSBR effluent was implemented. The P-D was supported by external carbon source addition and the most advantageous variant comprised dosing of half of the theoretical acetate dose for nitrite reduction in the 3-h intervals. The use of the system consisting of the GSBR with 8 h, an optimal P-D variant and a UF for the treatment of anaerobic digester supernatant allowed for the 99%, 71% and 97% reductions of TKN, COD and color, respectively.     

The study of rare earth elements in farmer's well waters of the Podwiśniówka acid mine drainage area (south-central Poland)

The principal objective of the current study was to elucidate the potential influence of acid mine drainage (AMD) pond on neighboring farmer's wells in the Podwi?niówka area (south-central Poland), using North American Shale Composite (NASC)-normalized rare earth element (REE) concentration profiles. The well waters generally displayed a distinctly positive Eu anomaly similar to that of parent rocks and AMD sediment. In contrast, the AMD pit pond water exhibited the typical roof-shaped NASC-normalized REE concentration pattern with a strong positive Gd anomaly. The low pH (mean of 2.9) of this pond water is induced by oxidation of pyrite that occurs in quartz veins and rocks exposed in the abandoned Podwi?niówka quarry. The principal source of REEs in turn is a crandallite series of aluminum–phosphate–sulfate (APS) minerals (gorceixite with florencite and Ce-bearing goyazite) that prevail in most clayey shales. These data indicate that the REE contents of the AMD pit pond and well waters are linked to bedrock mineralogy and lithology, but not to pyrite mineralization. The diverse REE patterns of NASC-normalized REE concentrations of the AMD and well waters may suggest complex sorption and desorption processes that occur at the rock–water interface influenced by different pH, Eh, temperature, and other factors. This is evidenced by a presence of strong positive Ce anomaly in the rocks, a lack of Ce anomaly in the AMD water and sediment, and the dominant negative anomaly of this element in the well waters. Variations in correlation coefficients (r ²) of REE concentrations between the rocks and the well waters may also result from a different contribution of quartzites, clayey shales, or tuffites to the REE signal of well waters as well as from mixing of shallow groundwater with infiltrating rainwater or meltwater with different REE profiles.     

Trace element concentrations in livers of Common Buzzards <Emphasis Type="Italic">Buteo buteo</Emphasis> from eastern Poland

In this study, our aim was to determine the common sources of origin of 18 elements in the livers of Common Buzzards collected during the breeding season in an extensive agricultural landscape in south-east Poland with respect to age (adults and immatures) and sex (males and females). In all 34 specimens collected, the element concentrations followed the pattern of S > Na > Fe > Mg > Zn > Si > Cu > Mn > Ba > Se > B > Pb > Hg > Cd > Cr > Ni > Sr > V. Among the heavy metals examined, only the concentration of Pb was relatively high. Given the prevalence of farmland in the studied area (and the wide use of fertilizers), common use of lead-hunting ammunition and moderate concentration of Pb in fertilizers, the indirect influence of hunting ammunition ingested with food or as gastroliths was apparently responsible for the elevated levels of Pb in the livers of Common Buzzards. In our study, no significant sex-related differences were detected in the hepatic concentrations of any element. However, a significant age effect was observed for three elements, which had elevated levels in adults (Hg) and immature birds (B, Pb), and a significant age x sex interaction was found for S and Fe. These results might be explained by the importance of these elements in bone growth in immature birds (B), variable strategies of foraging between adults and immature birds (Pb), and possible intersex differences in the immature cohort in response to the presence of lead (S, Fe).