Simulation of agronomic and nitrate pollution related parameters in vegetable cropping sequences in Mediterranean greenhouses using the EU-Rotate_N model

2018 ◽  
Vol 199 ◽  
pp. 175-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Soto ◽  
R.B. Thompson ◽  
M.R. Granados ◽  
C. Martínez-Gaitán ◽  
M. Gallardo
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
The Eu

scholarly journals Nitrate Management Discourses in Poland and Denmark—Laggards or Leaders in Water Quality Protection?

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2371
Author(s):  
Emilia Noel Ptak ◽  
Morten Graversgaard ◽  
Jens Christian Refsgaard ◽  
Tommy Dalgaard
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Water Quality Protection ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Nitrates Directive

The most significant source of nitrate pollution in the European Union (EU) is attributed to agricultural activities, which threaten drinking water, marine, and freshwater resources. The Nitrates Directive is a key feature of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which seeks to reduce nitrate pollution from agricultural sources. Yet, weak compliance by Member States (MS) diminishes the legitimacy of the EU environmental acquis and undermines efforts to achieve environmental objectives. This study examines the nitrate management discourse in Poland to identify influencing factors that impact governance capacity and overall compliance performance. The empirical investigation is based on nine stakeholder interviews, three written correspondences, and a literature review that collectively comprise an evaluation study. A comparison in governance approaches between Poland and Denmark provides a calibration in assessing performance respective to another MS. The findings categorize both Poland and Denmark as “laggard” in WFD compliance. This case contributes new insights in identifying 6 enabling and 13 constraining factors affecting the ability of MS to fulfill their implementation duties. The findings demonstrate that divergent stakeholder views based on historical and cultural norms require a differentiated approach tailored to domestic conditions for effective fulfillment of the objectives set forth in EU environmental legislation.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Assessing Groundwater Pollution Hazard by Nitrates from Agricultural Sources: Application to the Gallocanta Groundwater Basin (Spain)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6321
Author(s):  
José María Orellana-Macías ◽  
María Jesús Perles Roselló ◽  
Jesús Causapé
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Pollution ◽  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Hazard Maps ◽  
Nitrogen Input ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Fertilizer Requirement ◽  
Groundwater Basin ◽  
The Eu

Groundwater pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources is a common environmental issue. In order to support risk analysis, hazard maps are used to classify land uses according to their potential of pollution. The aim of this study is to propose a new hazard index based on nitrogen input and its connection with nitrate concentration in groundwater. The effectiveness of the Nitrogen Input Hazard Index was tested in the Gallocanta Groundwater Basin (Spain), a highly polluted area, declared as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. Agricultural data at a plot scale were used to estimate the nitrogen fertilizer requirement of each crop, and the correlation between nitrogen input and nitrate concentration in groundwater was explored. The resulting hazard map allows us to delimit the most hazardous areas, which can be used to implement more accurate nitrate pollution control programs. The index was proven to successfully estimate nitrogen input influence over groundwater nitrate concentration, and to be able to create hazard maps. The criterion used to create categories was empirically based on nitrate concentration thresholds established by the EU Nitrate Directive. The Nitrogen Input Hazard Index may be a useful tool to support risk analyses of agricultural activities in vulnerable areas, where nitrate pollution could endanger human water supply.

Agricultural nitrogen reduction requirement to reach groundwater and surface water quality targets in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Kunkel ◽  
Sabine Bergmann ◽  
Michael Eisele ◽  
Horst Gömann ◽  
Frank Herrmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Nitrate Transport ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
The Eu

<p>Excessive nitrate inputs into groundwater have been recognized as a main reason for failing drinking water standards since decades. Agricultural N-emissions originating from mineral or organic fertilizers are regarded as the most relevant source of nitrate in groundwater worldwide. Accordingly, strategies to cope with the nitrate pollution of groundwater are focused on controlling the agricultural sources of nitrate. In Europe this is reflected in the water legislation on EU level, i.e. the EU Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD), the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EU Nitrates Directive, obliging the polluter to implement measures to reduce the nitrogen impact on groundwater.</p><p>With an average population density of 525 inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup> the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia represents an example for a densely populated region in Germany. Consequently, the assessment of water bodies showed that a number of groundwater and surface water bodies are not in good status due to high nitrogen loads resulting e.g. in high nitrate concentrations in groundwater. There is a debate in North Rhine-Westphalia to what extent agricultural and non-agricultural N-emissions contribute to high nitrate concentrations.</p><p>The German Working Group on water issues of the Federal States and the Federal Government, require that the nitrate concentration in the leachate should not exceed 50 mg NO<sub>3</sub>/l. Against this background it is obvious that the nitrate concentration in the leachate represents a decisive parameter for both, the assessment on the nitrate pollution of groundwater and as starting point to determine the N reduction requirements.</p><p>We used an interdisciplinary model network consisting of a nutrient balance model, a nutrient balancing model (RAUMIS, Henrichsmeyer et al., 1996), a water balance model (mGROWA, Hermann et al., 2015), a reactive nitrate transport model in soil (DENUZ, Wendland et al., 2009) and a reactive nitrate transport model in groundwater (WEKU, Kunkel & Wendland, 1997) to predict the nitrogen intakes and the nitrogen losses to groundwater and surface waters from different input sources and pathways.</p><p>The nitrogen flux was modelled using nitrogen input data from the time period 2014-2016 and hydrological data for the time period 1981-2010. The nitrate concentrations in the leachate were calculated separately for agricultural and non agricultural N-sources involved, to enable the identification of the main polluter in a certain region, i.e. the one who has to implement measures to to reduce the nitrogen impact on groundwater.</p><p>From the model analysis it becomes evident that non-agricultural sources do only locally cause nitrate concentrations in the leachate above 50 mg NO<sub>3</sub>/l in spite of the high population density (525 inhabitants / km<sup>2</sup>). It could be confirmed that agricultural sources (N-balance surpluses from agriculture and atmospheric NH<sub>4</sub> deposition) are exclusively responsible for extended areas of nitrate concentrations above 50 mg NO<sub>3</sub>/l. Especially in the northern (Münsterland) and western (Lower Rhine basin) parts of the Federal State the implementation of measures to reduce agricultural N-emissions in the context of the WFD program of measures is necessary. These results will not only support the right dimensioning of agricultural N-reduction measures, but also affect the selection and implementation of regionally adapted N-reduction measures.</p>

Risk of groundwater contamination from nitrates in the Po basin (Italy)

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. De Maio ◽  
A. Fiorucci ◽  
M. Offi
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Po River ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Regional Authorities ◽  
The Eu

In 1991, the EU promulgated the Nitrates Directive 91/676/EEC, with which it obliged member states to set up monitoring systems, to designate areas vulnerable to nitrate pollution, especially that of agricultural origin, and to activate protection plans, setting the initial target as 1993. After a long delay, Italy assimilated the directive in 1999 with the D.Lgs. 152/99 (legislative decree), which basically transferred responsibility for identifying vulnerable zones to the Regional Authorities. The Po river basin was, and still is, particularly problematical, with its surface aquifers containing generally high levels of NO3− particularly in the lower Piedmontese plain, in the Alessandria area, in the upper Milan valley and in the Emilia-Romagna plain. Taking these pollution levels into consideration, along with continual eutrophication of the Adriatic Sea, the EU enjoined Italy to define the entire Po valley as vulnerable, to avoid being penalised. Such a restrictive designation would, however, have had a highly negative effect on agriculture and to avoid this, the Regions of the Po basin, after long delays, set in motion a series of scientific studies in order to be able to limit the areas defined as vulnerable. This paper, in line with Regional policies, proposes a method that can be applied on a regional scale for identifying areas vulnerable to nitrate pollution. It uses a parametric indicator of Pollution Risk, which is the product of the sintacs r5 and the ipnoa indicators: since the former indicator assesses the vulnerability of an aquifer, that is its susceptibility to absorption and spread of fluid or water-borne pollutant over time, while the latter studies the risk of pollution by nitrates of agricultural origin (that is, the amount of nitrates persisting in the territory), it is clear to us that the product of the two indicates the nitrate that may actually be present in the aquifer waters. The easy availability of input parameters for the model, the reliability of the output data, as compared with the results of monitoring various test sites in the Po valley, and the production of thematic maps, using GIS software, make the method a valid tool for the Regions when identifying zones vulnerable to nitrate pollution. The method is presented here with application to a test site of about 250 km2, situated in the lower Alessandria plain (Eastern Piedmont, Italy).

The Art of Lobbying the EU

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rinus van Schendelen
Keyword(s):  
The Eu

Projecting a European Diploma in Psychology

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Wilpert
Keyword(s):  
Research Process ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Results ◽  
External Constraints ◽  
Internal Procedures ◽  
The Eu

The paper presents an inside evaluation of the EuroPsyT project, funded by the EU Leonardo Program in 1999-2001. While standard research usually neglects to reflect on the internal and external constraints and opportunities under which research results are achieved, the paper stresses exactly those aspects: starting from a brief description of the overall objectives of the 11 countries project, the paper proceeds to describe the macro-context and the internal strengths and weaknesses of the project team, the internal procedures of cooperation,. and obstacles encountered during the research process. It winds up in noting some of the project's achievements and with a look towards future research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document