Perfluoroalkyl acids on suspended particles: Significant transport pathways in surface runoff, surface waters, and subsurface soils

The quality of surface water remains an important issue today. This is particularly acute for water bodies located in the urban-basin geosystems. Purpose. To estimate pressure of atmospheric precipitation within the urban landscape basin geosystem on the river water (by example of the Kharkiv river). Methods. Field landscaping, ecological, landscape-geochemical; analytical; system analysis; chemical analytical; statistical Results. An assessment of the state of surface waters under the impact from the surface runoff of atmospheric origin during 2014-2016, and partly from 2017-2019, formed under the influence of the transport (partly residential) subsystem of the urban area and surface waters in Kharkiv. On the salt content, the characteristic of water quality is "moderately polluted" (1,6); on the tropho-saprobiological indicators, the quality of water is characterized as "polluted" (from 3.1 to 2.75 along the river). It is in this context the impact of waters, which is formed in the conditions of the urban environment for the quality of natural waters, is well demonstrated. The presence of high values of pollutants and natural factors. The assessment of the quality of water on the content of specific indicators is "moderately polluted" (from 2.28 to 1.85). Conclusions. The water of the Kharkiv region, which has a strong influence from the urban environment, has a grade III quality; the water is "moderately polluted". Environmental assessment indicates the impact of surface runoff already on the middle part of the river, which increases in accordance with the conditions of the operation of urban landscapes and anthropogenic (transport) load.

Download Full-text

Hydraulic Shortcuts Increase the Connectivity of Arable Land Areas to Surface Waters

10.5194/hess-2020-391 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Urs Schönenberger ◽

Christian Stamm

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Arable Land ◽

National Level ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Major Pathway ◽

Pesticide Transport ◽

Storm Drainage ◽

Agricultural Areas

Abstract. Surface runoff represents a major pathway for pesticide transport from agricultural areas to surface waters. The influence of man-made structures (e.g. roads, hedges, ditches) on surface runoff connectivity has been shown in various studies. In Switzerland, so-called hydraulic shortcuts (e.g. inlets and maintenance manholes of road or field storm drainage systems) have been shown to influence surface runoff connectivity and related pesticide transport. Their occurrence, and their influence on surface runoff and pesticide connectivity have however not been studied systematically. To address that deficit, we randomly selected 20 study areas (average size = 3.5 km2) throughout the Swiss plateau, representing arable cropping systems. We assessed shortcut occurrence in these study areas using three mapping methods: field mapping, drainage plans, and high-resolution aerial images. Surface runoff connectivity in the study areas was analysed using a 2 × 2 m digital elevation model and a multiple-flow algorithm. Parameter uncertainty affecting this analysis was addressed by a Monte Carlo simulation. With our approach, agricultural areas were divided into areas that are either directly connected to surface waters, indirectly (i.e. via hydraulic shortcuts), or not connected at all. Finally, the results of this connectivity analysis were scaled up to the national level using a regression model based on topographic descriptors. Inlets of the road storm drainage system were identified as the main shortcuts. On average, we found 0.84 inlets and a total of 2.0 manholes per hectare of agricultural land. In the study catchments between 43 and 74 % of the agricultural area is connected to surface waters via hydraulic shortcuts. On the national level, this fraction is similar (54 %). These numbers suggest that transport through hydraulic shortcuts is an important pesticide flow path in a landscape where many engineered structures exist to drain excess water from fields and roads. However, this transport process is currently not considered in Swiss pesticide legislation and authorisation. Therefore, current regulations may fall short to address the full extent of the pesticide problem. Overall, the findings highlight the relevance of better understanding the connectivity between fields and receiving waters and the underlying factors and physical structures in the landscape.

Download Full-text

NAPTRAM - Plastiktransportmechanismen, Senken und Interaktionen mit Biota im Nordatlantik / NAPTRAM - North Atlantic plastic transport mechanisms, sinks, and interactions with biota, Cruise No. SO279, Emden (Germany) – Emden (Germany), 04.12.2020 – 05.01.2021

10.3289/cr_so279 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aaron Beck

Keyword(s):

Water Column ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Open Ocean ◽

Transport Pathways ◽

The North ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Vertical Export ◽

Core Questions ◽

Ocean Gyre

The coastal and open oceans represent a major, but yet unconstrained, sink for plastics. It is likely that plastic-biota interactions are a key driver for the fragmentation, aggregation, and vertical transport of plastic litter from surface waters to sedimentary sinks. Cruise SO279 conducted sampling to address core questions of microplastic distribution in the open ocean water column, biota, and sediments. Seven stations were sampled between the outer Bay of Biscay and the primary working area south of the Azores. Additional samples were collected from surface waters along the cruise track to link European coastal and shelf waters with the open ocean gyre. Microplastic samples coupled with geochemical tracer analyses will build a mechanistic understanding of MP transport and its biological impact reaching from coastal seas to the central gyre water column and sinks at the seabed. Furthermore, floating plastics were sampled for microbial community and genetic analyses to investigate potential enzymatic degradation pathways. Cruise SO279 served as the third cruise of a number of connected research cruises to build an understanding of the transport pathways of plastic and microplastic debris in the North Atlantic from the input through rivers and air across coastal seas into the accumulation spots in the North Atlantic gyre and the vertical export to its sink at the seabed. The cruise was an international effort as part of the JPI Oceans project HOTMIC (“HOrizontal and vertical oceanic distribution, Transport, and impact of MICroplastics”) and the BMBF funded project PLASTISEA (‘Harvesting the marine Plastisphere for novel cleaning concepts’), and formed a joint effort of HOTMIC and PLASTISEA researchers from a range of countries and institutes.

Download Full-text

Elemental composition of suspended particles from the surface waters of Lake Baikal in the zone affected by the Selenga River

Russian Geology and Geophysics ◽

10.1016/j.rgg.2010.09.004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 51 (10) ◽

pp. 1126-1132 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

E.P. Chebykin ◽

E.L. Goldberg ◽

N.S. Kulikova

Keyword(s):

Elemental Composition ◽

Lake Baikal ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Suspended Particles ◽

Selenga River

Download Full-text

The herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in the Lavaux vineyard area, western Switzerland: Proof of widespread export to surface waters. Part II: The role of infiltration and surface runoff

Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part B ◽

10.1080/03601234.2013.780548 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 48 (9) ◽

pp. 725-736 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Silwan Daouk ◽

Luiz F. De Alencastro ◽

Hans-Rudolf Pfeifer

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Herbicide Glyphosate

Download Full-text

Dynamics of the Copper Content in the Podborenka River Surface Water

Water sector of Russia: problems, technologies, management - Методы оценки и механизмы регулирования водопользования в современных условиях ◽

10.35567/1999-4508-2015-4-9 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 110

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Copper Content ◽

Catchment Area ◽

Atmospheric Precipitation ◽

Chemical Characteristics ◽

Environment Impact ◽

The Status ◽

Local Relief ◽

Hydrological Phases

Outcomes of studying of the urbanized environment impact on the status of the Podborenka River that is the part of the catchment area of the Izhevsk Reservoir, an important city-forming body, are presented. The river hydrological and hydro/chemical characteristics and the copper content dynamics in surface waters during the main hydrological phases have been discussed. It has been found that the main mass of copper is supplied into the water body from the local relief with the atmospheric precipitation surface runoff.

Download Full-text

Hydraulic shortcuts increase the connectivity of arable land areas to surface waters

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-25-1727-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 1727-1746

Author(s):

Urs Schönenberger ◽

Christian Stamm

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Arable Land ◽

National Level ◽

Aerial Images ◽

Pesticide Transport ◽

Connectivity Model ◽

Storm Drainage ◽

Agricultural Areas

Abstract. Surface runoff represents a major pathway for pesticide transport from agricultural areas to surface waters. The influence of artificial structures (e.g. roads, hedges, and ditches) on surface runoff connectivity has been shown in various studies. In Switzerland, so-called hydraulic shortcuts (e.g. inlet and maintenance shafts of road or field storm drainage systems) have been shown to influence surface runoff connectivity and related pesticide transport. Their occurrence and their influence on surface runoff and pesticide connectivity have, however, not been studied systematically. To address that deficit, we randomly selected 20 study areas (average size of 3.5 km2) throughout the Swiss plateau, representing arable cropping systems. We assessed shortcut occurrence in these study areas using three mapping methods, namely field mapping, drainage plans, and high-resolution aerial images. Surface runoff connectivity in the study areas was analysed using a 2×2 m digital elevation model and a multiple-flow algorithm. Parameter uncertainty affecting this analysis was addressed by a Monte Carlo simulation. With our approach, agricultural areas were divided into areas that are either directly, indirectly (i.e. via hydraulic shortcuts), or not at all connected to surface waters. Finally, the results of this connectivity analysis were scaled up to the national level, using a regression model based on topographic descriptors, and were then compared to an existing national connectivity model. Inlet shafts of the road storm drainage system were identified as the main shortcuts. On average, we found 0.84 inlet shafts and a total of 2.0 shafts per hectare of agricultural land. In the study catchments, between 43 % and 74 % of the agricultural area is connected to surface waters via hydraulic shortcuts. On the national level, this fraction is similar and lies between 47 % and 60 %. Considering our empirical observations led to shifts in estimated fractions of connected areas compared to the previous connectivity model. The differences were most pronounced in flat areas of river valleys. These numbers suggest that transport through hydraulic shortcuts is an important pesticide flow path in a landscape where many engineered structures exist to drain excess water from fields and roads. However, this transport process is currently not considered in Swiss pesticide legislation and authorization. Therefore, current regulations may fall short in addressing the full extent of the pesticide problem. However, independent measurements of water flow and pesticide transport to quantify the contribution of shortcuts and validating the model results are lacking. Overall, the findings highlight the relevance of better understanding the connectivity between fields and receiving waters and the underlying factors and physical structures in the landscape.

Download Full-text

Cold-climate vegetative buffer zones as pesticide-filters for surface runoff

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2005.0576 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 51 (3-4) ◽

pp. 63-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

N. Syversen

Keyword(s):

Distribution Coefficient ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Degradation Product ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Cold Climate ◽

High Adsorption ◽

Runoff Water ◽

Buffer Zones ◽

Retention Efficiency ◽

Experimental Soil

Vegetative buffer zones adjacent to watercourses can be effective filters for diffuse pollution from agriculture. Several investigations, even during snowmelt season, have shown that retention of sediments and sediment-bound nutrients in runoff water has been high through buffer zones (BZ). It is likely that BZ also can be effective filters for sediment-bound pesticides. The retention of glyphosate, propiconazole, fenpropimorph and soil particles was studied in surface runoff experiments with 5 m wide buffer zones. Volume proportional samples were collected after each runoff episode (1999–2002). The distribution coefficient (Kd) shows moderate to high adsorption of the pesticides to the experimental soil. Results show average retention efficiency of about 51%, 48%, 85% and 34% for particles, glyphosate, propiconazole and fenpropimorph, respectively. The amount of AMPA (which is a degradation product of glyphosate), entering the BZ was high; approximately the same amount as for glyphosate. The retention efficiency through the BZ for AMPA was about 67%. There were no significant differences in removal efficiency (in %) between winter with snowmelt and summer. This is possibly due to detachment of coarser aggregates during winter, which trap more easily in the BZ. The conclusion based on this study suggests BZ to be contributors to reduced pesticide input to surface waters.

Download Full-text