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The Impact of Atmospheric Deposition of Non-Acidifying Substances on the Quality of European Forest Soils and the North Sea

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Abstract

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 database for Europe. This enabled deposition maps to be produced to a resolution of approximately 50 km. The distribution of pollutant concentrations in forest soils was calculated for each grid cell using a database of soil property parameters in Europe. For the North Sea, a model was used to map long-term concentrations in water and sediment, which are due to atmospheric deposition and other, non-atmospheric sources. The model calculations allowed detailed comparisons of deposition fluxes and concentrations of the substances studied with critical loads and environmental quality threshold values, including critical loads. Although significant uncertainties were identified, the study gives insight in how threshold exceedance rates in Europe relate to pollutant type, threshold type, environmental compartment and chemophysical phase (adsorbed, dissolved). For all pollutants and for all compartments exceedances were calculated for at least some of the quality thresholds that were chosen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy and Process Innovation, TNO Institute of Environment, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands E-mail

    K. D. Van den Hout, D. J. Bakker, J. J. M. Berdowski & M. Villars

  2. RIVM –, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    J. A. Van Jaarsveld

  3. DLO Winand Staring Centre for Integrated Land, Soil and Water Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands and DLO Institute for Agrobiological and Soil Fertility Research Haren (Gr.), The Netherlands

    G. J. Reinds, J. Bril, A. Breeuwsma, J. E. Groenenberg & W. De Vries

  4. Delft Hydraulics, Delft, The Netherlands

    J. A. Van Pagee

  5. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague, The Netherlands

    C. J. Sliggers

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  1. K. D. Van den Hout
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  2. D. J. Bakker
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  3. J. J. M. Berdowski
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  4. J. A. Van Jaarsveld
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  5. G. J. Reinds
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  6. J. Bril
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  7. A. Breeuwsma
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  8. J. E. Groenenberg
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  9. W. De Vries
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  10. J. A. Van Pagee
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  11. M. Villars
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  12. C. J. Sliggers
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Van den Hout, K.D., Bakker, D.J., Berdowski, J.J.M. et al. The Impact of Atmospheric Deposition of Non-Acidifying Substances on the Quality of European Forest Soils and the North Sea. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 109, 357–396 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005083425852

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