Impact of interannual weather variation on ammonia emissions and concentrations in Germany

Ammonia is one of the most impactful pollutants emitted from agricultural activities, harming human health and contributing to biodiversity loss. In ammonia emission inventories, the spatial distribution of annual emissions is mostly approximated by constant empirical emission fractions, which do not account for spatial variability, nor for...

Improving spatial and temporal variation of ammonia emissions for the Netherlands using livestock housing information and a Sentinel-2-derived crop map

Ammonia emissions to the atmosphere have a range of negative impacts on environmental quality, human health, and biodiversity. Despite the considerable efforts in quantifying spatially explicit ammonia emissions, there are significant uncertainties in ammonia emission estimates at regional scales. We aimed to improve the modeling of atmospheric...

Halving nitrogen waste in the European Union food systems requires both dietary shifts and farm level actions

The pivotal role of nitrogen to achieve environmental sustainable development goals and transform our food system is recognized in an ambitious nitrogen waste reduction target in the Farm to Fork Strategy of the Eu ropean Commission. But is this a realistic objective and if so, what are the pathways that lead to success? To answer these...

Modeling Atmospheric Ammonia using Agricultural Emissions with Improved Spatial Variability and Temporal Dynamics

Ammonia emissions to the atmosphere have increased substantially in Europe since 1960, largely due to the intensification of agriculture as illustrated by enhanced livestock and use of fertilizers. These associated emissions of reactive nitrogen, particulate matter and acid deposition have contributed to negative societal impacts on human health...

Critical loads of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury and their exceedances in Europe

Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) are known to be transported over relatively long distances from their sources. Deposited metals may accumulate over time in soils and catchments, and then follow varying pathways to endpoints in humans and the environment. Cadmium and lead, that are emitted primarily as particulate matter, and mercury in...

Our Nutrient World - The challenge to produce more food and energy with less pollution

Executive Summary Key Points Nutrient Benefits and Threats * The sustainability of our world depends fundamentally on nutrients. In order to feed 7 billion people, humans have more than doubled global land-based cycling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). * The world’s N and P cycles are now out of balance, causing major environmental, health...

Towards a climate-dependent paradigm of ammonia emission and deposition

Existing descriptions of bi-directional ammonia (NH3) land-atmosphere exchange incorporate temperature and moisture controls, and are beginning to be used in regional chemical transport models. However, such models have typically applied simpler emission factors to upscale the main NH3 emission terms. While this approach has successfully...

Towards a climate-dependent paradigm of ammonia emission and deposition

Existing descriptions of bi-directional ammonia (NH3) land–atmosphere exchange incorporate temperature and moisture controls, and are beginning to be used in regional chemical transport models. However, such models have typically applied simpler emission factors to upscale the main NH3 emission terms. While this approach has successfully...

Consequences of human modification of the global nitrogen cycle

The demand for more food is increasing fertilizer and land use, and the demand for more energy is increasing fossil fuel combustion, leading to enhanced losses of reactive nitrogen (Nr) to the environment. Many thresholds for human and ecosystem health have been exceeded owing to Nr pollution, including those for drinking water (nitrates), air...

Evaluation of the performance and limitations of empirical partition-relations and process based multisurface models to predict trace element solubility in soils

Here we evaluate the performance and limitations of two frequently used model-types to predict trace element solubility in soils: regression based “partition-relations” and thermodynamically based “multisurface models”, for a large set of elements. For this purpose partition-relations were derived for As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se,...

Assessment of Nitrogen Fluxes to Air and Water from Site Scale to Continental Scale

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Transfer functions for solid-solution partitioning of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in soils: derivation of relationships for free metal ion activities and validation with independent data

Models to predict the solid-solution partitioning of trace metals are important tools in risk assessment, providing information on the biological availability of metals and their leaching. Empirically based models, or transfer functions, published to date differ with respect to the mathematical model used, the optimization method, the methods...

Challenges in quantifying biosphere-atmosphere exchange of nitrogen species

Recent research in nitrogen exchange with the atmosphere has separated research communities according to N form. The integrated perspective needed to quantify the net effect of N on greenhouse-gas balance is being addressed by the NitroEurope Integrated Project (NEU). Recent advances have depended on improved methodologies, while ongoing...

The Dutch nitrogen cascade in the European perspective

<wegspan style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: NL; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">The Netherlands is ?well known? for its nitrogen problems; it has one of the highest reactive nitrogen (N<sub...

Final report of the project input-output relationships for intensive monitoring sites

This report describes the work done within the project

The impact of atmospheric deposition of non-acidifying substances on the quality of European forest soils and the North Sea

In the pilot study ESQUAD the impact of atmospheric deposition of three heavy metals (cadmium, copper and lead) and two persistent organic pollutants (benzo(a)pyrene and lindane) on the quality of European soils and seawater has been calculated. Calculations have been made of atmospheric transport and deposition using a detailed emissions...

Assessment of the exposure and loads of acidifying and eutrophying pollutants and ozone, as well as their harmful influence on the vitality of the trees and the Speulder forest ecosystem as a whole

Within the framework of the Dutch Priority Program on Acidification, 10 yr of research was conducted in a Douglas fir stand at Speulder forest. Research was conducted to establish the loads and levels of acidifying and eutrophying pollutants and ozone, to determine forest vitality characteristics and follow growth parameters and nutrient status...

Manual for calculating critical loads of persistent organic pollutants for soils and surface waters - Preliminary guidelines for environmental quality criteria, calculation methods and input data

Methodologies are described for calculating critical loads of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) for soils and surface waters. The various aspects which are discussed, are: environmental quality criteria, calculation methods, input data and the various sources of uncertainty. The calculation methods described are based on the concept of...