scholarly journals Application of a soil quality triad in assessing ecological risk posed to croplands

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (7/8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard C. du Preez ◽  
Hendrika Fourie ◽  
Mieke S. Daneel ◽  
Victor Wepener
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Irrigation Scheme ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Integrated Risk Assessment ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessments ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Healthy soil ecosystems fulfil multiple functions (e.g. cycling nutrients and controlling pests), which play an important role in sustainable food production. However, the application of polluted irrigation water poses a major risk to soil quality (health) and warrants investigation to ultimately inform decision-making. We hypothesised that the standardised soil quality TRIAD approach (ISO 19204), which integrates the chemistry, ecology, and ecotoxicology lines of evidence, can be used as part of an ecological risk assessment of cropland soils. To investigate the applicability of this approach in an agricultural setting, we collected soils from croplands associated with the Hartbeespoort and Crocodile (West) irrigation schemes, which utilise water known to be heavily impacted by anthropogenic (metal, nutrient, and salt) pollution. Croplands associated with the Marico-Bosveld Irrigation Scheme served as the reference systems. Data from the three lines of evidence were scaled, weighted, and integrated. Moderate risk was evidenced for nutrient and salt content in most croplands associated with the Hartbeespoort Irrigation Scheme. However, either no or low risk was recorded for the ecology and ecotoxicology lines of evidence. Finally, the integrated risk assessment concluded that only low ecological risk was posed to soil quality, likely as a result of agricultural activities (e.g. tillage and fertiliser application) that deteriorated soils also at the reference system. This study shows important limitations in the application of ecological risk assessments in conventionally farmed soils, but still holds promise for organic and conservation systems.

scholarly journals A Blueprint for the Problem Formulation Phase of EPA-Type Ecological Risk Assessments for 316(b) Determinations

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 271-298
Author(s):  
Webster Van Winkle ◽  
William P. Dey ◽  
Steve M. Jinks ◽  
Mark S. Bevlhimer ◽  
Charles C. Coutant
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessment ◽  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessments ◽  
Generic Analysis ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The difference between management objectives focused on sustainability of fish populations and the indigenous aquatic community, and a management objective focused on minimizing entrainment and impingement losses accounts for much of the ongoing controversy surrounding §316(b). We describe the EPA’s ecological risk assessment framework and recommend that this framework be used to more effectively address differences in management objectives and structure §316(b) determinations. We provide a blueprint for the problem formulation phase of EPA-type ecological risk assessments for cooling-water intake structures (CWIS) at existing power plant facilities. Our management objectives, assessment endpoints, conceptual model, and generic analysis plan apply to all existing facilities. However, adapting the problem formulation process for a specific facility requires consideration of the permitting agency’s guidelines and level of regulatory concern, as well as site-specific ecological and technical differences. The facility-specific problem formulation phase is designed around the hierarchy of biolo gical levels of organization in the generic conceptual model and the sequence of cause-effect events and risk hypotheses represented by this model. Problem formulation is designed to be flexible in that it can be tailored for facilities where §316(b) regulatory concern is low or high. For some facilities, we anticipate that the assessment can be completed based on consideration of susceptibility alone. At the other extreme, a high level of regulatory concern combined with the availability of extensive information and consideration of costly CWIS mitigation options may result in the ecological risk assessment relying on analyses at all levels. Decisions on whether to extend the ecological risk assessment to additional levels should be based on whether regulatory or generator concerns merit additional analyses and whether available information is adequate to support such analyses. In making these decisions, the functional dependence between levels of analysis must be considered in making the transition to the analysis phase and risk estimation component of the ecological risk assessment. Regardless of how the generic analysis plan is modified to develop a facility-specific analysis plan, the resulting plan should be viewed as a tool for comparing representative species and alternative CWIS options by focusing on relative changes (i.e., proportional or percent changes) in various measures. The analysis plan is specifically designed to encourage consideration of multiple lines of evidence and to characterize uncertainties in each line of evidence. Multiple lines of evidence from different levels of analysis, obtained using both prospective and retrospective techniques, provide a broader perspective on the magnitude of potential effects and associated uncertainties and risks. The implications of the EPA’s recent (April 2002) proposed regulations for existing facilities on the applicability of this blueprint are briefly considered.

scholarly journals ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT (ERA) APPLICATION FOR THE EVALUATION OF IMPACTS ON NATURAL AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
ÉRIC CESAR PAGLIARINI ◽  
VANESSA BEZERRA DE MENEZES OLIVEIRA ◽  
EVALDO LUIZ GAETA ESPINDOLA
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessment ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Advanced Degree ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Systemic Impact ◽  
Very High ◽  
Degree Of Degradation ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Abstract The present research employs the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) method to evaluate the probability of adverse effects in the water supply of Bom Repouso (MG), a city where the agriculture has caused an advanced degree of degradation of its sources. The methodology is based on the integration of different variables, divided into three Lines of Evidence (chemical, physical-chemical and ecotoxicological), and allows for the evaluation of risk assessment between 0.0 and 1.0 in the sampled environment. Five sampling points were evaluated in three periods, with the results varying between the four possible ratings (from low to very high), and it was not possible to identify a pattern of risk evolution between them. Thus, the method used proved to be efficient in assessing the degree of degradation of the environment, however, additional studies are required to improve this type of systemic impact assessment, based on the evaluation of the environmental degradation.

New approaches to the ecological risk assessment of multiple stressors

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Van den Brink ◽  
Catherine Bo Choung ◽  
Wayne Landis ◽  
Mariana Mayer-Pinto ◽  
Vincent Pettigrove ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Ecological Modelling ◽  
Ecological Protection ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Protection Goals ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Ecological Risk Assessments ◽  
Current Risk

So as to assess how emerging science and new tools can be applied to study multiple stressors at a large (ecosystem) scale and to facilitate greater integration of approaches among different scientific disciplines, a workshop was organised on 10–12 September 2014 at the Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences, Sydney, Australia. The present paper discusses the limitations of the current risk-assessment approaches and how multiple stressors at large scales can be better evaluated in ecological risk assessments to inform the development of more efficient and preventive management policies based on adaptive management in the future. A future risk-assessment paradigm that overcomes these limitations is presented. This paradigm includes cultural and ecological protection goals, the development of ecological scenarios, the establishment of the relevant interactions among species, potential sources of stressors, their interactions and the development of cause–effect models. It is envisaged that this will be achievable through a greater integration of approaches among different scientific disciplines and through the application of new and emerging tools such as 'big data', ecological modelling and the incorporation of ecosystem service endpoints.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document