The main objective of this study was to investigate possible temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury in eggs of herring gulls (Larus argentatus), black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), common guillemots (Uria aalge) and Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) in Northern Norway. Eggs were collected in 1983, 1993 and 2003. Egg concentrations of POPs (PCB congeners IUPAC numbers: CB-28, 74, 66, 101, 99, 110, 149, 118, 153, 105, 141, 138, 187, 128, 156, 157, 180, 170, 194, 206, HCB, alph-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH, oxychlordane, trans-chlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDD, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDT) and mercury were quantified. Generally, POP levels decreased between 1983 and 2003 in all species. No significant temporal trend in mercury levels was found between 1983 and 2003.

Most veterinary drugs enter the environment via manure application. However, it is unclear how these substances interact with soil biota. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the effects of manure containing different concentrations of the antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ) on the soil microbial communities. It was shown that manure alone has a stimulating effect on microbial activity. Only potential nitrification was negatively influenced by manure application. The addition of SDZ to the manure reduced microbial activity. Depending on the SDZ concentration, levels of activity were in the range of the control soil without manure application. Also, selected processes in nitrogen turnover were negatively influenced by the addition of SDZ to the manure, with nitrification being the only exception. The effects were visible for up to 4 days after application of the manure with or without SDZ and were correlated with the bioavailability of the antibiotic.

Pollution of Lakes and Rivers provides essential insights into present-day water quality problems from an international perspective; explains simply and effectively how lake sediments can be used to reconstruct pollution history; includes over 200 additional references and a new chapter on recent climatic change and its effects on water quality and quantity; tackles present-day water quality problems from an international perspective.

Intensive forest monitoring by means of harmonised methods has been conducted in Europe for more than a decade. Risks of atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur deposition are assessed by means of calculations of critical loads and their exceedances. In the present study throughfall and bulk deposition of nitrate (N-NO3), ammonium (N-NH4) and sulphate (S-SO4) show marked spatial patterns and temporal trends. In the period of observation (1999-2004), sulphate deposition on intensive monitoring plots decreased by about one quarter. This is in line with the reduction of S deposition by 70% since 1981 in Europe as a result of successful air pollution control politics under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). However, sulphate and especially nitrate and ammonium deposition were found to still exceed critical loads at many forest sites, indicating a continued need for further implementation of air pollution abatement strategies.

Biofilm is a complex aggregation of microorganisms, principally bacteria, associated with their extracellular polymers, and surface attached. Many bacteria, mainly saprophytes, but also some oportunistic human pathogens, live in a water sypplying system. Depending on water quality and other factors, these bacteria are able to form biofilms. The formed biofilm is usually resistant to traditional supply system treating methods, including disinfection. The aim of this study is to make a contribution to the knowledge about bacteria Pseudomonas aeroginosa in biofilm structure. By understanding biofilms, wrong interpretation of microbiological results in water supply system samples analyses could be avoided.

Biofilm naturally occurs in many water distributive systems. The aim of the paper is to determine biofilm forming potential of bacteria isolated from tap water from Novi Sad. A colometric crystal violet microtitre plate test was used to determine bacterial potential to form biofilm. The results show that some isolates have a great potential to form biofilm, especially when grow on higher temperature and in the reach nutritive media.

Coagulation and flocculation can be efficiency applied in drinkling water treatment, in order to remove natural organic matter (NOM). However, in the experiments presented in this paper, the water used is very rich in NOM, and required investigations of additional processes. In order to increase the efficiency of coagulation and flocculation processes in removing NOM from groundwater, the following processes were investigated: adsorption on powdered activated carbon (5-30 mg PAC/l) and preozonation with applied ozone doses of 1.1-6.3 mg O3/l. The parameters used to evaluated the changes in NOM content during the experiment were: KMnO4 consumption, UV absorbance at 254 nm, pH and turbidity.