The urban landscape is comprised of many land uses, none more intensively managed than turfgrass; however, quantification of nutrient losses from specific land uses within urban watersheds, specifically golf courses is limited. Nitrate (NO3-N) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were measured on a golf course in Austin, TX, USA from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 2003. NO3-N and DRP concentrations measured in storm flow were significantly greater exiting the course compared to those entering the course. Significant differences were also measured in baseflow NO3-N concentrations. The measured loading from the course was 4.0 kg NO3-N ha 1 yr 1 (11% of applied) and 0.66 kg DRP ha 1 yr 1 (8% of applied). The resulting concentrations contributed by the course were 1.2 mg L 1 NO3-N and 0.2 mg L 1 DRP. At these levels, NO3-N poses minimal environmental risk. However, the DRP concentration is twice the recommended level to guard against eutrophication

A plot-scale, rainfall-simulation study measured edge-of-field pollutant losses from conventional-till, strip-till, and no-till treatments in a burley tobacco production system. The field experiment results show that the conventional-till treatment yielded more total runoff than strip- and no-till treatments. Compared to the conventional-till treatment, both no-till and strip-till reduced the total mass losses of total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate (NO-N), ammonia (NH₃-N), total phosphorus (TP), orthophosphate (PO₄-P), and the insecticide chlorpyrifos in runoff. Although statistical analyses indicated that there was no significant difference between the no-till and strip-till practices, the no-till practice consistently yielded less edge-of-field pollutant loss than the strip-till practice. This research reinforces the body of knowledge documenting the effectiveness of conservation-tillage practices in reducing edge-of-field pollutant losses.

A total of nine sediment cores were collected from the five deep basins of Kejimkujik Lake, located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, in order to track changes related to surface-water acidification and to test reproducibility of results between sediment cores from different basins in a large lake. Present-day and pre-industrial (c. 1850) samples were analyzed from all cores and detailed diatom profiles were undertaken on three cores to determine the timing of acidification. All three detailed diatom profiles show declines in inferred pH starting in the early 1930-1940s. Since the 1940s, diatom-inferred lakewater pH has declined from a background pH of ~5.8 (± 0.4) to a current diatom-inferred pH of ~4.9 (± 0.1). This corresponds to the current (2001-2002) range of measured lakewater pH = 4.7-5.2 with a mean pH = 4.9. Species diversity of diatoms also declines markedly in all cores with the Hill's N2 index decreasing from ~5 to near 1. The pre-impact diatom assemblages were dominated by Aulacoseira spp. and have since changed to dominance by Asterionella ralfsii var. americana (>45 μm). All nine sediment cores showed similar changes in diatom assemblages, diatom-inferred pH, and timing of the onset of acidification. Thus, paleolimnological inferences from deepwater sediment cores were highly reproducible in this large, morphometrically complex lake system.

Former mining activities lasting 140 years in the Ducktown Mining District, Tennessee, USA, has contaminated the streams draining the district with acid-mine drainage (AMD). North Potato Creek and its major tributary, Burra Burra Creek, are two of the most heavily AMD-impacted streams in the district. The removal of dissolved metals from the water in these creeks is largely attributable to the sorption of Cu, Zn, Co, Al, and Mn on suspended hydroxide precipitates of Fe. The fraction of trace metals remaining in solution decreases with increasing pH in the sequence Pb < Cu < Zn < Co. The concentration of Fe in solution also decreases with increasing pH due to the formation of ferric hydroxide precipitates which accounted for up to 81.4% by weight of the total suspended sediment. The concentration of suspended sediment substantially decreases as the water of North Potato Creek flows through a large settling basin, where 1.3 (±0.3) x 10⁶ kg/year of trace-metal-laden suspended sediment would be annually deposited. In spite of this attempt to purify it, the water discharged into the river is acidic (pH 3.6) and still contains high concentrations of dissolved trace metals, which would resorb on to suspended sediment and be ultimately transported to a downstream reservoir, Ocoee No. 3 Lake.

Drainage water from agricultural fields with applied manure can degrade the bacterial quality of surface and groundwater. The impact of conventional tillage (CT) and zero tillage (ZT) practices on Escherichia coli (E.coli) discharge through artificially drained soils is not well understood. Consequently, two field trials were conducted during 2002–2004. The first trial involved fall applications of beef manure while the second involved spring applications of dairy manure. Both surface and subsurface drainage water were monitored in the first trial while only subsurface drainage water was monitored in the second. Under fall applied beef manure (trial 1), no differences (p > 0.05) were observed in E.coli concentrations (cfu/100 ml) in combined drainage water under both tillage systems. However, during 2003–2004, subsurface drainage water under ZT had higher E.coli concentrations and loads than drainage water under CT. When the combined (surface + subsurface) annual E.coli loads were considered, CT loads were greater than ZT during 2002–2003 with an opposite situation during 2003–2004. Overall, annual E.coli loads were similar under ZT (4.7 × 10¹⁰ cfu/ha) and CT (4.8 × 10¹⁰ cfu/ha). Spring dairy manure application (trial 2) produced significant (p > 0.03) tillage effect on E.coli loads in subsurface drainage water only during the second year. During the study period, ZT plots (1.55 × 10¹⁰ cfu/ha) discharged 5× more E.coli than CT (0.23 × 10¹⁰ cfu/ha). A longer duration of ZT practices resulted in higher subsurface flow volumes and subsequently greater loads of E.coli discharge in both trials.

This study examines the seasonal variability in levels of nitrogen (N) leaching and acidity in four acid impacted upland regions of the UK: the South Pennines, Snowdonia, Galloway and the Mourne Mountains. All regions are acidified, with median pH values of <5.5. The South Pennines exhibit excess sulphate concentrations an order of magnitude higher than those for other regions and have the lowest pH values of all the regions. Nitrate concentrations are highest in the South Pennines (seasonal medians 20-26 μeq l-¹) and the Mourne Mountains (seasonal medians 9-26 μeq l-¹). Surface water in the Mourne Mountains is the most highly N impacted in terms of the proportional contribution of N to acidity. All N species exhibit seasonality, with greater retention by catchment soils and vegetation in August. This seasonality is most marked in Snowdonia and least marked in the South Pennines. This implies that the South Pennines have reached an advanced stage of N saturation. Despite the reductions in S deposition, xSO₄ is the dominant anion for all sites in the South Pennine and Snowdonia regions. A strong negative relationship between the contribution of NO₃ to total acidity and DON was observed for all regions except the South Pennines. It is hypothesized that catchments dominated by organic rich soils produced more DON and have an increased capacity to immobilise NO₃. Seasonal nitrogen budgets show that over 60% of the N inputs are retained within catchments, and no site retains all incoming N throughout the year.

Since 1983, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan has conducted nation-wide acid deposition surveys. To investigate the effects of acid deposition on surface water, we used the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test to find temporal trends in pH, alkalinity, and electrical conductivity (EC) in more than 10 years of data collected from five lakes and their catchments (Lake Kuttara: northernmost; Lake Kamakita: near Tokyo; Lake Ijira: central; Lake Banryu: western; and Lake Unagiike: southernmost). The pH of Lake Ijira water has declined slightly since the mid-1990s, corresponding with the downward trends seen in the pH and alkalinity of the river water flowing into the lake. There were significant upward trends in the EC of both the lake and stream water; the same trends were also found for [graphic removed] concentrations. These trends show evidence of acidification due to atmospheric deposition, and this is the first such finding in Japan based on significant long-term trends. Lake Ijira is located about 40 km north of the Chukyo industrial area near Nagoya. The annual depositions of H⁺, nss- [graphic removed] , and [graphic removed] in Lake Ijira were among the highest of all deposition monitoring sites, suggesting that this is the main cause of the significant acidification observed in Lake Ijira. No significant trends suggesting acidification were observed in any of the other lake catchments in spite of the significant upward trends in EC. Upward trends in pH and alkalinity at Lake Banryu and upward trends in alkalinity at Lake Kamakita were detected, but no change in pH or alkalinity at Lake Kuttara and Lake Unagiike was observed.

Background, Aim and Scope The article is focused on dioxin, furan, PCB and organochlorine pesticide monitoring in the surface waters of the Central European, protected natural reserve Krivoklatsko, under the UNESCO programme Man and Biosphere. Persistent compounds are presently transported via different means throughout the entire world. This contamination varies significantly between sites. This raises the question of what constitutes the naturally occurring background levels of POPs in natural, unpolluted areas, but which are close to industrialised regions. Information of real background POP contamination can be of high value for risk assessment management of those sites evidently polluted and for the defining of de-contamination limits. Preserved areas should not be seen as isolated regions in which the impacts of human activities and natural factors are either unexpected or overlooked. Every ambient region, even those protected by a law or other means, are still closely connected to neighbouring human developed and impacted areas, and are therefore subject to this anthropogenic contamination. These areas adjacent to natural reserves are sources of diverse substances, via entry of air, water, soil and/or biota. After an extended period of industrial activities, organochlorine pollutants, even those emitted in trace concentrations have reached detectable levels. For future research and for the assessment of environmental changes, present levels of contamination would be of high importance. This work publishes data of the contamination with organochlorine pollutants of this natural region, where biodiversity and ecological functions are of the highest order. Materials and Methods: Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were utilised as the sampling system. SPMDs were deployed in two small creeks and one water reservoir selected in the central part of the Krivoklatsko Natural Reserve, where it could be expected that any possible contamination by POPs would be lowest. The exposed SPMDs were analysed both for chemical contents of POPs and for toxicity properties. The chemical analyses of dibenzo-dioxins, dibenzo-furans, PCBs and OCPs were analysed by GC/MS/MS on GCQ or PolarisQ (Thermoquest). Toxicity bioassays were performed on the alga Desmodesmus subspicatus, bacteria Vibrio fischeri and crustacean Daphnia magna. All toxicity data were expressed as the effective volume Vtox. Vtox is a toxicity parameter, the determination of which is independent of SPMD deployment time and pre-treatment dilution (unlike, for example, the EC50 of the SPMD extract). Results: The following chemical parameters were monitored: 1) tetra, penta, hexa and hepta dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans; 2) all those detectable from tri- through deca-polychloriated biphenyls (PCBs) and 3) a group of organochlorine pesticides: hexachlorobenzene and isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane, DDE, DDD and DDT. The concentrations of dioxins and furans on the assessed sites varied from under detection levels up to 7 pg.l-1; PCBs were detected in a sum concentration up to 2.8 ng.l-1; and organochlorine pesticides up to 346 pg.l-1. The responses of bioassays used were very low, with the values obtained for Vtox being under 0.03 l/d. Discussion: Toxicity testing showed no toxicity responses, demonstrating that the system used is in coherence with the ecological status of the assessed sites. Values of Vtox were under the critical value - showing no toxicity. The PCA of chemical analysis data and toxicity responses resulted in no correlations between these two groups of parameters. This demonstrated that the present level of contamination has had no direct adverse effects on the biota. Conclusions: The concentration values of six EPA-listed, toxic dioxins and sums of tetra-hepta dioxins; nine EPA toxic dibenzofurans and the sums of tetra-hepta bibenzofurans are presented together with all tri-deka PCBs and organochlorine pesticides (alfa-, beta-, gama-, delta-HCH, HCB, opDDE, ppDDE, opDDD, ppDDD, opDDT, ppDDT). These values represent possible current regional natural background values of these substances monitored within the Central European region, with no recorded adverse effects on the freshwater ecosystem (up until the present time). Recommendations and Perspectives: Assessment of dioxins, furans and other organochlorine compounds within natural reserves can be important for the monitoring of human-induced impacts on preserved areas. No systematic monitoring of these substances in areas not directly affected by industry has generally been realised. There is a paucity of data of the presence of any of these substances within natural regions. Further monitoring of contamination of both soil and biota by dioxins and furans in preserve regions is needed and can be used for future monitoring of man-made activities and/or accidents. Semipermeable membrane devices proved to be a very good sampling system for the monitoring of trace concentrations of ambient organochlorine compounds. Toxicity evaluation using the Vtox concept demonstrated that those localities assessed expressed no toxicity.

The puddles Novo Ilje 1 and Novo Ilje 2 are aquatic ecosystems periodically filled with moderate salt and alkaline water. In 2003 and 2004 quantitative analysis show the Euglenophyta domination. Trachelomonas taxa are the most common. The algae in planktonic communities are the most numerous in both puddles in researched years.

The salt pond Velika Slatina is the old meander of the river Tamis (Serbia). The ecosystem is periodically fill with moderate salt water. Phytoplankton production was 10 times bigger in 2003 than 2006. Ecological conditions were unfavourable for development of phytoplankton community. Diatoms show as the most abundant component in 2003, but euglenoids were in 2006, when bloom of Gloeotrichia natans f. bucharica Kissel was recorded. Results of biomass analysis also show dominant role of diatoms in 2003 and euglenoids in 2006.