Modelling network for analysing diffuse nitrogen leaching reduction in agriculture to meet the targets of the water framework directive in the Weser River Basin of Germany

Author: Peter Kreins, Horst Gömann, Claudia Heidecke, Ulrike Hirt and Frank Wendland
Year of Publication: 2010
Published: Steusloff, H. (ed.). IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management Karlsruhe: KIT Scientific Publishing, pp. 200-206

Abstract:
The objective of this paper is to present a model based approach to identify the demand for measures for the reduction of nitrogen surpluses from agriculture and to compose a combination of possible measures with their associated costs to be able to meet the targets of the water framework directive (WFD). An interdisciplinary model network consisting of the regionalised agricultural economic model RAUMIS and two hydro(geo)logical modelling systems GROWA/WEKU and MONERIS is used to analyse the spatially differentiated impacts of nutrient reduction measures on the water quality of groundwater and surface water. The study region of the German Weser river basin is chosen that comprises 49,000 km2 and features heterogeneous natural site conditions. In order to support the preparation of a management plan for the Weser river basin the AGRUM Weser project has been initiated. A combination of measures is specified for each county in the Weser basin depending on regional peculiarities and farming practices. Results show that about 100 million Euros per year are needed for agri-environmental measures to fulfil the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. This paper presents a regionally comprehensive and area wide modelling approach that is capable of linking hydrological and agricultural economic aspects in an interdisciplinary approach and which can easily be transferred to other river basins.

Keywords:
Water framework directive, Diffuse pollution, Agricultural economic and hydrological modelling, Cost of nutrient reduction measures, Weser River Basin

Citation:
Kreins, P., Gömann, H., Heidecke, C., Hirt, U., Wendland, F., 2010. Modelling network for analysing diffuse nitrogen leaching reduction in agriculture to meet the targets of the water framework directive in the Weser River Basin of Germany. In: Steusloff, H. (ed.). IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management Karlsruhe: KIT Scientific Publishing, pp. 200-206.

Link:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5445/KSP/1000019358

Determination of spatially differentiated water balance components including groundwater recharge on the Federal State level – A case study using the mGROWA model in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)

Author: Frank Herrmann, Luise Keller, Ralf Kunkel, Harry Vereecken and Frank Wendland
Year of Publication: 2015
Published: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 4 Part B: 294-312

Abstract:
Study region: The Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany.

Study focus: On behalf of the Federal State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (LANUV) the mGROWA model is applied, in order to simulate the water balance components actual evapotranspiration, total runoff, direct runoff and groundwater recharge at Federal State level. mGROWA-simulations were performed in daily time steps for the hydrological reference period 1971–2000 and in a spatial resolution of 100 by 100 m. mGROWA results for groundwater recharge and State-wide recorded groundwater withdrawal rates have been used to assess the extent of groundwater exploitation in NRW.

New hydrological insights: Simulated groundwater recharge levels are presented as long-term annual averages and as long-term monthly values in order to indicate the seasonal fluctuation of groundwater recharge rates. Quantitative statistics indicate that mGROWA enables the simulation of total runoff and groundwater recharge without significant tendency of over- or underestimation. Against this background mGROWA simulation results are used by LANUV to support regional water resources management, e.g. for determining the status of groundwater exploitation in NRW. The majority of groundwater bodies in NRW are at present not at risk of unsustainable groundwater usage. A small number of groundwater bodies along the river Rhine, however, have been assessed as being close to unsustainable groundwater exploitation.

Keywords:
Water balance components, Soil water balance, Runoff, Runoff components, Groundwater recharge, Groundwater management

Citation:
Herrmann, F., Keller, L., Kunkel, R., Vereecken, H., Wendland, F., 2015. Determination of spatially differentiated water balance components including groundwater recharge on the Federal State level – A case study using the mGROWA model in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies: 294-312.

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581815000804

Risk Perception of Plastic Pollution: Importance of Stakeholder Involvement and Citizen Science

Author: Kristian Syberg, Steffen Foss Hansen, Thomas Budde Christensen, Farhan R. Khan
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Wagner M., Lambert S. (eds.). Freshwater Microplastics. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 58. Springer, Cham

Abstract:
Risk perception has a significant impact on how society reacts to a given risk. There have been cases where a mismatch between the actual risk and the perception of it has led to poor decisions on societal initiatives, such as inappropriate regulatory measures. It is therefore important that the perception of risk is based on an informed foundation acknowledging the biases and drivers that inevitably go with risk perception. Plastic pollution differs in regard to other classical risks, such as those posed by chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), since the pollution is more visible and already has a significant magnitude. At the same time, everyone is familiar with using plastic, and our daily lives are highly dependent on the use of plastic. This offers some potential to strengthen the societal risk perception and subsequently implement effective measures to address the pollution.

In this chapter, we define eight risk perception drivers (voluntariness, control, knowledge, timing, severity, benefit, novelty, and tangibility) and relate these drivers to plastic pollution. We discuss the process in which plastic pollution has been recognized as an important environmental problem by scientists, the public, and policy makers and elaborate on how the eight risk drivers have influenced this process. Plastic pollution has several of the characteristics that can enhance people’s perception of the risk as being important and which has generated great awareness of the problem. The chapter finally discusses how risk perception can be improved by greater stakeholder involvement and utilization of citizen science and thereby improve the foundation for timely and efficient societal measures.

Keywords:
Citizen science, Plastic pollution, Public participation, Risk perception, Stakeholder involvement 

Citation:
Syberg K., Hansen S.F., Christensen T.B., Khan F.R., 2018. Risk Perception of Plastic Pollution: Importance of Stakeholder Involvement and Citizen Science. In: Wagner M., Lambert S. (eds.) Freshwater Microplastics. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 58. Springer, Cham

Link:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-61615-5_10

How microplastics quantities increase with flood events? An example from Mersin Bay NE Levantine coast of Turkey

Author: Sedat Gündoğdu, Cem Çevik, Berna Ayat, Burak Aydoğan and Serkan Karaca
Year of Publication: 2018
Published: Environmental Pollution 239: 342-350

Abstract:
Floods caused by heavy rain carry significant amounts of pollutants into marine environments. This study evaluates the effect of multiple floods that occurred in the northeastern Mediterranean region in Turkey between December 2016 and January 2017 on the microplastic pollution in the Mersin Bay. Sampling was repeated in four different stations both before and after the flood period, and it was determined that in the four stations, there was an average of 539,189 MPs/km2 before the flood, and 7,699,716 MPs/km² afterwards, representing a 14-fold increase. Fourteen different polymer types were detected in an ATR FT-IR analysis, eight of which were not found in samples collected before the floods. The most common polymer type was identified as polyethylene both pre- and post-flood. The mean particle size, which was 2.37 mm in the pre-flood period, decreased to 1.13 mm in the post-flood period. A hydrodynamic modeling study was implemented to hindcast the current structure and the spatial and temporal distributions of microplastics within the study area. In conclusion, heavy rain and severe floods can dramatically increase the microplastic levels in the sea.

Keywords:
Microplastic, Marine litter, Levantine Sea, Mersin Bay, Rain flood, ATR FT-IR

Citation:
Gündoğdu, S., Çevik, D., Ayat, B., Aydoğan, B., Karaca, S., 2018. How microplastics quantities increase with flood events? An example from Mersin Bay NE Levantine coast of Turkey. Environmental Pollution 239: 342-350.

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749118300939

Contamination of table salts from Turkey with microplastics

Author: Sedat Gündoğdu
Year of Publication: 2018
Published: Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A 35 (5): 1006-1014

Abstract:
Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a problem that affects all aquatic, atmospheric and terrestial environments in the world. In this study, we looked into whether MPs in seas and lakes reach consumers through table salt. For this purpose, we obtained 16 brands of table salts from the Turkish market and determined their MPs content with microscopic and Raman spectroscopic examination. According to our results, the MP particle content was 16–84 item/kg in sea salt, 8–102 item/kg in lake salt and 9–16 item/kg in rock salt. The most common plastic polymers were polyethylene (22.9%) and polypropylene (19.2%). When the amounts of MPs and the amount of salt consumed by Turkish consumers per year are considered together, if they consume sea salt, lake salt or rock salt, they consume 249–302, 203–247 or 64–78 items per year, respectively. This is the first time this concerning level of MPs content in table salts in the Turkish market has been reported.

Keywords:
Microplastic, Table salt, Contamination, Food security, Turkey

Citation:
Gündoğdu, S., 2018. Contamination of table salts from Turkey with microplastics. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A 35 (5), 1006-1014.

Link:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19440049.2018.1447694

High level of micro-plastic pollution in the Iskenderun Bay NE Levantine coast of Turkey

Author: Sedat Gündoğdu
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 34(4): 401 – 408

Abstract:
Microplastic pollution is a global problem. The Mediterranean Sea, especially, has high pressure of pollution as it is enclosed by highly populated and industrialized countries. In this study, we have determined the level of microplastic pollution in the Iskenderun Bay, located in the Northeastern Levantine coast of Turkey. The average level of microplastic has been determined to be 1,067,120 particles/km² at fourteen stations. The highest level has been determined at the M4 station in the middle of the bay (with 1820 items; 2,888,889 particles/km²), and the lowest level has been found at the M11 station (62 items; 98,412 particles/km²). As a result of this study, it was determined that the microplastic pollution level in the Iskenderun Bay is higher than the other regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords:
Microplastic, Marine litter, Levantine Sea, Iskenderun Bay

Citation:
Gündoğdu , S., 2017. High level of micro-plastic pollution in the Iskenderun Bay NE Levantine coast of Turkey. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 34(4): 401 – 408.

Link:
http://www.egejfas.org/issue/29803/329228

Fouling assemblage of benthic plastic debris collected from Mersin Bay, NE Levantine coast of Turkey

Author: Sedat Gündoğdu and Cem Çevik
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Marine Pollution Bulletin 124(1): 147-154

Abstract:
The Mediterranean is an ecosystem that faces more and more microplastic pollution every day. This causes the whole of the Mediterranean to face the negative effects of plastic pollution. This study examines the state of plastic debris and fouling organisms found on it in one of the areas most affected by plastic pollution, Mersin Bay. As a result, a total of 3.88 kg plastic (mean = 0,97 kg; n = 120; 2670 item/km²; 86,3 kg/km²) was collected and based on the ATR-FTIR analysis, it was determined that this total contained 9 types of plastics. 17 different fouling species belonging to 6 phylum (Annelida, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Chordata, Cnidaria, Mollusca) 7 class and 11 order were discovered on plastics. Spirobranchus triqueter, Hydroides sp. and Neopycnodonte cochlear were the most abundant species. In the end, the example of Mersin Bay shows that plastic debris as a substrate can contain a very high diversity of life just like natural substrates.

Keywords:
Marine plastic debris, Biofouling, ATR FT-IR, Marine pollution, Mersin Bay

Citation:
Gündoğdu, S., Çevik, C., 2017. Fouling assemblage of benthic plastic debris collected from Mersin Bay, NE Levantine coast of Turkey. Marine Pollution Bulletin 124(1): 147-154.

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17306045

Micro- and mesoplastics in Northeast Levantine coast of Turkey: the preliminary results from surface samples

Author: Sedat Gündoğdu and Cem Çevik
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Marine Pollution Bulletin 118(1-2): 341-347

Abstract:
The determination of the microplastic distribution will be beneficial as a measure of the potential effects on the environment. The Mediterranean Sea had a high risk of pollution as it was enclosed by highly populated and industrialized countries. Here, we determined the level of micro- and mesoplastic pollution in Iskenderun and Mersin Bays, located in the Northeastern Levantine coast of Turkey. The average level of both micro- and mesoplastic was determined to be 0.376 item/m2 at seven stations. The highest level was determined in Mersin Bay at the mouth of the Seyhan river (Station no. 7, with 906 items), and the lowest level was found in Station no. 4 in Iskenderun Bay (78 items). As a result of this study, it was determined that the microplastic pollution level in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey was similar to the other regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords:
Microplastic, Mesoplastic, Marine Litter, Levantine Sea, Mersin Bay, Iskenderun Bay

Citation:
Gündoğdu, S., Çevik, C., 2017. Micro-and mesoplastics in Northeast Levantine coast of Turkey: the preliminary results from surface samples. Marine Pollution Bulletin 118(1-2): 341-347.

Link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17302084

More Than a Potential Hazard – Approaching Risks from a Social-Ecological Perspective

Author: Carolin Völker, Johanna Kramm, Heide Kerber, Engelbert Schramm, Martina Winker and Martin Zimmermann
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Sustainability. Special Issue “Social Ecology. State of the Art and Future Prospects” 9 (7), 1039

Abstract:
Risks have been classically understood as a probability of damage or a potential hazard resulting in appropriate management strategies. However, research on environmental issues such as pollutants in the aquatic environment or the impacts of climate change have shown that classical management approaches do not sufficiently cover these interactions between society and nature. There have been several attempts to develop interdisciplinary approaches to risk that include natural as well as social science contributions. In this paper, the authors aim at developing a social-ecological perspective on risk by drawing on the concept of societal relations to nature and the model of provisioning systems. This perspective is used to analyze four cases, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, semicentralized water infrastructures and forest management, with regard to risk identification, assessment and management. Finally, the paper aims at developing a perspective on risks which takes into account non-intended side-effects, system interdependencies and uncertainty.

Keywords:
pharmaceuticals, microplastics, semicentralized water infrastructures, forest management, provisioning system, normal operation

Citation:
Völker, C.; Kramm, J.; Kerber, H.; Schramm, E.; Winker, M.; Zimmermann, M. (2017): More Than a Potential Hazard—Approaching Risks from a Social-Ecological Perspective. In: Sustainability. Special Issue “Social Ecology. State of the Art and Future Prospects”. 9 (7), 1039.

Link:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a7dd/1d75f0d03eff1a8953d355fb7302cd423144.pdf

Plastikmüll im Meer: Zur Entdeckung eines Umweltproblems

Author: Johanna Kramm, Carolin Völker
Year of Publication: 2017
Published: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (APuZ) 51-52: 17-22

Abstract:
Es ist erst wenige Jahre her, dass mehrere Medien von der Entstehung eines „achten Kontinents“ berichteten. Dieser bestehe aus allerlei Unrat und Müll, vor allem Plastikmüll, der sich durch die Meeresströmung im Nordpazifik gesammelt habe. Die Vorstellung eines neuen Kontinents beflügelte einige zunächst: Niederländische Architekten entwickelten Visionen, den Plastikmüll einzusammeln, um neuen Wohnraum auf einer Insel aus recyceltem Material zu gewinnen. Und der junge Erfinder Boyan Slat entwarf eine Art marine Plastikmüllauffanganlage, die er durch Crowdfunding finanzierte. Inzwischen ist bekannt, dass das Plastik im Nordpazifik keine tragende, kontinentartige Fläche bildet, sondern eher eine “Plastiksuppe”. Wegen der Strömungen sammelt sich darin vor allem sogenanntes Mikroplastik, das entweder durch den Zerfall von Plastikmüll entstanden ist oder bei dem es sich um verlorengegangenes Plastikgranulat handelt. Dieses aus dem Meer herauszuholen, wird als zu aufwendig und kostspielig angesehen. Zudem würden durch die Filtration auch kleine, für die Meeresökologie wichtige Lebewesen herausgefischt.

Keywords:
plastic litter, sea, microplastics

Citation:
Kramm, J.; Völker, C. (2017): Plastikmüll im Meer. Zur Entdeckung eines Umweltproblems. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (APuZ) 51-52: 17-22.

Link:
http://www.bpb.de/apuz/261373/plastikmuell-im-meer-zur-entdeckung-eines-umweltproblems?p=all