Implementation of shallow water table effects on pesticide runoff mitigation efficiency by vegetative filter strips within SWAN-VFSMOD

<p>Quantitative mitigation of pesticides entering surface water using vegetative filter strips (VFS) is currently available within the regulatory SWAN tool for EU FOCUS STEP 4 simulations. For the VFSMOD model option, field estimates of surface runoff, sediment and pesticide loads simulated with the model PRZM are routed through the VFS where VFSMOD estimates the reductions of total inflow (dQ), eroded sediment (dE) and pesticide (dP) loads before the remaining runoff enters the waterbody. The reduced runoff is handed over to the TOXSWA aquatic model to calculate predicted environmental concentrations in surface water (PECsw). Brown et al. (2012) proposed VFSMOD parametrization rules including the selection of VFS soils and other characteristics for use in the FOCUS R1 to R4 (Rx) SWAN scenarios. The rules apply to free-draining soils, described in VFSMOD by the Green-Ampt model extended for unsteady rainfall. However, in some EU regions, the presence of a seasonal shallow water table (sWT) is common. In these cases, the VFS efficiency can be limited, depending on water table depth (WTD) and soil type. VFSMOD incorporates a sWT mechanistic infiltration component that has proven successful to predict sWT effects in VFS experiments. This component requires soil hydraulic characteristics, described by e.g. the Mualem-van Genuchten (MvG) equations.</p><p>The main objective of this study is to identify Rx representative VFS soils to study the effects of sWT on pesticide mitigation for a combination of illustrative storms and pesticides, as well as on PECsw from long-term SWAN simulations.</p><p>The selection and testing of the Rx VFS soils seeks to reflect a 90<sup>th</sup>-percentile worst case in space of dP. The multicriteria adopted in the soil selection evaluate not only dP, but also the percentile of important soil parameters for noWT (K<sub>s</sub>, S<sub>av</sub>) and sWT infiltration conditions (fillable pore volume f<sub>pv</sub>). The framework consisted of 4 steps: (a) soil spatial soil database analysis for VFS Rx mitigation scenarios; (b) selection of VFS candidate soils; (c) analysis of effects of sWT and sorption on dP for individual storm events; (d) Effect of sWT on long-term STEP 4 SWAN VFS mitigation simulations. For (a), representative soil profiles and area coverage for each of the EU Rx were obtained by combining the latest EU JRC soil profile databases SPADE2 and SPADE14. Each multilayer soil was aggregated into single-layer depth-weighted profiles, and MvG parameters were estimated using HYPRES pedotransfer functions (PTF). Water table depths (WTD) were set at equilibrium with TOXSWA median surface water level, and S<sub>av</sub> and f<sub>pv</sub> were calculated by numerical integration from MvG characteristics. For (b), 10644 VFSMOD simulations were run for all combinations of soils, T=1 and 10 yr storms, high/low Koc pesticides, and sWT/noWT conditions. Candidate Rx VFS soils were selected for the most conservative case (low Koc=100 Kg/L pesticide, T=10 yr storm) and noWT to achieve the target spatial 90<sup>th</sup> percentile worst case of pesticide load reduction by the VFS. </p><p>The implementation of the new sWT VFS mitigation component provides a more realistic description of pesticide reduction in accordance with STEP 4 EU FOCUS objectives.</p>

Exploring Biophysical Linkages between Coastal Forestry Management Practices and Aquatic Bivalve Contaminant Exposure

Terrestrial land use activities present cross-ecosystem threats to riverine and marine species and processes. Specifically, pesticide runoff can disrupt hormonal, reproductive, and developmental processes in aquatic organisms, yet non-point source pollution is difficult to trace and quantify. In Oregon, U.S.A., state and federal forestry pesticide regulations, designed to meet regulatory water quality requirements, differ in buffer size and pesticide applications. We deployed passive water samplers and collected riverine and estuarine bivalves Margaritifera falcata, Mya arenaria, and Crassostrea gigas from Oregon Coast watersheds to examine forestry-specific pesticide contamination. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling and regression to relate concentrations and types of pesticide contamination across watersheds to ownership and management metrics. In bivalve samples collected from eight coastal watersheds, we measured twelve unique pesticides (two herbicides; three fungicides; and seven insecticides). Pesticides were detected in 38% of bivalve samples; and frequency and maximum concentrations varied by season, species, and watershed with indaziflam (herbicide) the only current-use forestry pesticide detected. Using passive water samplers, we measured four current-use herbicides corresponding with planned herbicide applications; hexazinone and atrazine were most frequently detected. Details about types and levels of exposure provide insight into effectiveness of current forest management practices in controlling transport of forest-use pesticides.

Irrigating Nursery Crops with Recycled Run-off: A Review of the Potential Impact of Pesticides on Plant Growth and Physiology

Interest in capturing and reusing runoff from irrigation and rainfall in container nurseries is increasing due to water scarcity and water use regulations. However, grower concerns related to contaminants in runoff water and other issues related to water safety are potential barriers to the adoption of water capture and reuse technologies. In this review, we discuss some of the key concerns associated with potential phytotoxicity from irrigating container nursery crops with recycled runoff. The concentration of pesticides in runoff water and retention ponds is orders of magnitude lower than that of typical crop application rates; therefore, the risk of pesticide phytotoxicity from irrigation with runoff water is relatively low. Nonetheless, some pesticides, particularly certain herbicides and insecticides, can potentially affect crops due to prolonged chronic exposure. Pesticides with high solubility, low organic adsorption coefficients, and long persistence have the greatest potential for crop impact because they are the most likely to be transported with runoff from container pads. The potential impact on plant growth or disruption of physiological processes differs among pesticides and sensitivity of individual crop plants. Growers can reduce risks associated with residual pesticides in recycled irrigation water by adopting best management practices (e.g., managing irrigation to reduce pesticide runoff, reducing pots spacing during pesticide application, use of vegetative filter strips) that reduce the contaminant load reaching containment basins as well as adopting remediation strategies that can reduce pesticide concentrations in recycled water.

Case-control design identifies ecological drivers of endemic coral diseases

Endemic disease transmission is an important ecological process that is challenging to study because of low occurrence rates. Here, we investigate the ecological drivers of two coral diseases -- growth anomalies and tissue loss -- affecting five coral species. We first show that a statistical framework called the case-control study design, commonly used in epidemiology but rarely applied to ecology, provided high predictive accuracy (67-82%) and disease detection rates (60-83%) compared with a traditional statistical approach that yielded high accuracy (98-100%) but low disease detection rates (0-17%). Using this framework, we found evidence that 1) larger corals have higher disease risk; 2) shallow reefs with low herbivorous fish abundance, limited water motion, and located adjacent to watersheds with high fertilizer and pesticide runoff promote low levels of growth anomalies, a chronic coral disease; and 3) wave exposure, stream exposure, depth, and low thermal stress are associated with tissue loss disease risk during interepidemic periods. Variation in risk factors across host-disease pairs suggests that either different pathogens cause the same gross lesions in different species or that the same disease may arise in different species under different ecological conditions.

Pesticidal Pollution

The development and application of pesticides has contributed in a long way in making the “Green Revolution” possible. These newer pesticides have synergetic effect over the control of pests that otherwise have negative impact on the quality and quantity of food. The toxicity, persistence, and environmental pathway are some important criteria that determine the impacts on ecology and environment. The generalization of the impact of pesticides on different organisms is difficult as these are of broad spectrum chemical nature. However, the major problem that arises due to widespread use of pesticides is the contamination of water by pesticide runoff. The chemically contaminated water in turn leads to the much aggravated problems of bio-concentration and bio-magnification of these chemicals. While the bio-concentration describes the transfer of a chemical from surrounding into the tissue/body of organism, the bio-magnification is related to the increased concentration of such a chemical along a food chain.

Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology

Distribution and habitat associations of the Critically Endangered frog Walkerana phrynoderma (Anura: Ranixalidae), with an assessment of potential threats, abundance, and morphology. Little is known about Walkerana phrynoderma, a frog endemic to the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats of India. Baseline information (i.e., distribution, threats, habitat characteristics, activity patterns, and relative abundance) is provided for this species, with the aim of improving our understanding of the status of the species in the wild. Visual-encounter, transect, and time-activity budget surveys were conducted in and around the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. The frog skin was swabbed to determine the presence/absence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and habitat and environmental characteristics were recorded at sites where W. phrynoderma was found. These data were compared with those of sites apparently lacking this species that had suitable habitat. Walkerana phrynoderma is restricted to evergreen forests between 1300 and 1700 m a.s.l. in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and at Munnar; thus, its range was extended from the state of Tamil Nadu to the adjoining state of Kerala. Pesticide runoff and human disturbance are the most severe threats to the species; B. dendrobatidis was not detected. This nocturnal anuran prefers forest edges and is associated with well-shaded forest foors in cool areas near freshwater streams. Walkerana phrynoderma is rarely encountered whereas its congener, W. leptodactyla, is more common. The impact of anthropogenic disturbances, especially waste disposal and development of tourism infrastructure, should be evaluated. The land that is owned by the Forest Department peripheral to the protected areas could be designated as eco-sensitive sites to prevent changes in land use that could have an adverse effect on W. phrynoderma.