Environmental Indicators to Assess the Risk of Diffuse Nitrogen Losses from Agriculture

Diffuse Nitrogen (N) loss from agriculture is a major factor contributing to increased concentrations of nitrate in surface and groundwater, and of N₂O and NH₃ in the atmosphere. Different approaches to assess diffuse N losses from agriculture have been proposed, among other direct measurements of N loads in leachate and groundwater, and physically-based modelling. However, both these approaches have serious drawbacks and are awkward to use at a routine base. N loss indicators (NLIs) are environmental management tools for assessing the risk of diffuse N losses from agricultural fields. They range in complexity from simple proxy variables to elaborate systems of algebraic equations. Here we present an overview of NLIs developed in different parts of the world. NLIs can be categorized into source-based, transport-based, and composite approaches. Several issues demand more attention in future studies. (1) Is incorporation of leaching losses and gaseous losses into one single NLI warranted? (2) Is it sufficient to restrict the focus on the rooted soil zone without considering the vadose zone and aquifer? (3) Calibration and validation of NLIs using field data of N loss seems not sufficient. Comparisons of several different NLIs with each other needs more attention; however, the different scaling of NLIs impedes comparability. (4) Sensitivity of input parameters with regard to the final NLI output needs more attention in future studies. (5) For environmental management purposes, factors addressing management decision by farmers deserve more attention.     

Correction to: Documenting lemming population change in the Arctic: Can we detect trends?

Ambio - In the original published article, some of the symbols in figure 1A were modified incorrectly during the typesetting and publication process. The correct version of the figure is provided...     

Participatory integrated assessment of adaptation to climate change in Alpine tourism and mountain agriculture

Winter tourism and mountain agriculture are the most important economic sectors in a major part of the Swiss Alps. Both are highly sensitive to changing climatic conditions. In the framework of the CLEAR project, results from climate impact research in the field of tourism and agricultural production were used to investigate the perception of climatic change by stakeholders and to assess possible adaptations. We used a participatory integrated assessment (PIA) to involve the knowledge, values and experiences of the various social actors in tourism and agriculture (e.g., skiers, tourism managers, farmers) in the research process. Whereas climate change may have various severe direct impacts on the tourism industry, depending on the region, agricultural production may generally benefit from changed climatic conditions. But because of the dependence of farmers on “off-farm” income, the loss due to declining winter tourism in specific areas may cause more important indirect effects. However, the two sectors may adapt actively by choosing from a variety of strategies, and the loss of income from the tourism industry may support the re-evaluation of the various functions agriculture plays in mountain regions, beyond the production of food. The study demonstrates the suitability of the PIA approach to elucidate the interactions between different stakeholders and their perception of the climate change phenomena. A similar participatory approach could be a useful tool to transfer research results and expert knowledge to the political process addressing adaptations to climate change. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cadmium in moose kidney and liver – age and gender dependency, and standardisation for environmental monitoring

In the northern hemisphere moose has been found to be suitable as a monitoring animal for the presence of cadmium in the environment. The metal accumulates mainly in the kidney and the liver, with the rate of accumulation dependent on age and possibly also on gender. Collection of tissue material often results in sample selections with disparate age and gender composition, which makes comparison between different regions and different studies difficult. A previous large scale investigation of metals in kidney and liver from moose in Sweden provided Cd data (n = 3,817 and 3,802, respectively) to further explore the relation between Cd accumulation and age/gender. Based on local averages, the individual deviations were analysed with respect to the factors age and gender resulting in an 'ageing function' for each gender and organ. In addition, estimates of the pure individual variations were obtained; the standard deviations correspond to a factor 1.7-1.9 for the Cd concentration, which indicates that 25-30 samples are needed to give a representative mean value (with RSD approximately 10%). In order to be able to compare results from different studies, all individual results can be transformed to represent a 'standard moose' with respect to age and gender. A comparison along these lines was undertaken between Cd levels in Alaska and Sweden. Finally, a relationship between the Cd levels in kidney and liver was derived, providing at least rough estimates for kidney from liver values (or vice versa).     

Terrestrial metapopulation dynamics: a nonlinear bioeconomic model analysis

This paper presents a spatially explicit bioeconomic analysis of species conservation in agricultural areas. Wild species in fragmented agricultural landscapes are best approached as metapopulations consisting of a finite number of local populations. Economic analysis of species conservation in fragmented habitat needs to deal with metapopulation theory and its theoretical implications. This paper presents a spatially explicit bioeconomic model consisting of a straightforward economic land use model and an applied metapopulation model. This paper demonstrates that multiple equilibria and multiple local optima in metapopulations might lead to nonconvexities in the production possibilities set of agricultural profits and species conservation.     

Performance of firefighters' protective clothing after heat exposure.

Heat and mechanical protection properties of 6 fabric combinations commonly used in firefighters' protective clothing were assessed before and after different heat treatment. It was shown that after heat exposure, the values obtained were generally lower than in the original state. The mechanical properties of the materials were more affected by heat than by heat protective properties. In 2 cases, degradation started before a visible change in the material could be observed, which might be potentially dangerous for the end user who will not realize the alteration of the material.     

Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of an industrial area near Bucharest

Background, aim, and scope

Heavy metals such as lead are well known to cause harmful health effects. Especially children are particularly susceptible to increased levels of lead in their blood. It is also a fact that lead concentration is increasing in the environment due to increased anthropogenic activity. The risk of heavy metal contamination is pronounced in the environment adjacent to large industrial complexes. In a combined case study, the environmental pollution by heavy metals was related to children’s health in the vicinity of an industrial area located 4 km south-east from Bucharest about 2 km east from the nearest town—Pantelimon. This site includes companies processing different, nonferrous solid wastes for recovery of heavy metals and producing different nonferrous alloys and lead batteries. In this paper, mainly the results of environmental sampling and analyses are summarized.

Materials and methods

Water, soil, and atmospheric deposition samples were collected from different locations within 3 km from the industrial area. For comparison, samples were also taken from Bucharest. Water samples were filtered (<0.45 μm), extracted by salpetric acid, and quantified by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Soil samples were dried, sieved (<2 mm), extracted by aqua regia and analyzed by AAS. In order to quantify the atmospheric deposition, three kinds of permanently open collecting pots were used on nine different sites between August and November 2006.

Results

At most sampling locations, the heavy metal concentrations in soil decrease with increasing distance to the presumably major source of pollution. Highest heavy metal concentrations were found in 10–20 cm soil depths. There were also decreasing heavy metal concentrations for atmospheric deposition with increasing distance to the industrial site. In surface and groundwater samples, traces of zinc, copper and lead were detected.

Discussion

The heavy metal concentrations in soil were increased in the study area, mostly under legal action limits in low-concern areas (e.g., 1,000 mg Pb/kg dry soil), but often above action limits for high-concern areas (100 mg Pb/kg dry soil) such as populated areas. The soluble lead concentrations in water samples indicate a need for monitoring and assessing water quality in more detail. The results for atmospheric deposition showed increased dust precipitation and heavy metal loads in the study area compared to Bucharest. However, based on mass flow balance calculations, the actual atmospheric deposition of heavy metals must be much lower than it was in the past decades.

Conclusions

It was shown that highest lead values in water, soil and atmospheric deposition are rather to be found near the investigated industrial site than at the control sites in Bucharest. Our results correspond very well with results that show that children from Pantelimon have significantly increased lead concentrations in their blood compared to children in Bucharest. The increased lead contamination around the investigated industrial area is likely to have caused the increased exposure for children living in Pantelimon.

Recommendations and perspectives

In high-concern areas, such as found in populated areas, further measures have to be taken to avoid health risks for people living in these areas. The measures already taken to reduce emissions from the industrial site will help to avoid further increases in heavy metal concentrations. In areas with exceeded action limits, measures have to be taken as required by law. Detailed risk assessments could help to take necessary actions to protect public health in this area. The public should be informed about the potential hazards of eating plants grown in that area. Educational programs for schools, informing children about the contamination, should lead to a better understanding of environmental problems and a more sustainable behavior in the future.

     

Mass balance assessment of triclosan removal during conventional sewage treatment

The antimicrobial agent triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol; TCS) is a member of a larger group of polychlorinated binuclear aromatic compounds frequently associated with adverse environmental and human health effects. Whereas the structure and function of TCS would suggest significant resistance to biotransformation, biological wastewater treatment currently is considered the principal destructive mechanism limiting dispersal of and environmental contamination with this compound. We explored the persistence of TCS in a typical full-scale activated sludge US sewage treatment plant using a mass balance approach in conjunction with isotope dilution liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ID-LC-ESI-MS) for accurate quantification. Average influent and effluent concentrations (mean +/- SD) of 4.7+/-1.6 and 0.07+/-0.06 microg 1(-1), respectively, revealed an apparent (liquid-phase) removal efficiency of 98+/-1%. However, further analyses demonstrated that the particle-active TCS (80+/-22% particle-associated in influent) was sequestered into wastewater residuals and accumulated in dewatered, digested sludge to concentrations of 30000+/-11000 microg kg-1. Overall, 50+/-19% (1640+/-610 g d-1) of the disinfectant mass entering the plant (3240+/-1860 g d-1) remained detectable in sludge, and less than half of the total mass (48+/-19%) was biotransformed or lost to other mechanisms. Thus, conventional sewage treatment was demonstrated to be much less effective in destroying the antimicrobial than the aqueous-phase removal efficiency of the plant would make believe. Furthermore, study findings indicate that the common practice of sludge recycling in agriculture results in the transfer of substantial quantities of TCS to US soils used, in part, for animal husbandry and crop production.