Nitrogen and phosphorus in New Zealand streams and rivers: Control and impact of eutrophication and the influence of land management

Abstract

Given sufficient light and heat, the growth of aquatic macrophytes and algae associated with eutrophication is generally controlled by the concentration, form and ratio between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Data from 1100 freshwater sites monitored for the last 10 years by New Zealand's regional councils and unitary authorities were assessed for streams and rivers with mean nitrate/ nitrite‐N (NNN), dissolved reactive P (DRP), total N (TN) and total P (TP) concentrations in excess of New Zealand guidelines, and to generate a data set of N:P ratios to predict potential periphyton response according to the concentration of the limiting nutrient. The frequency of sites exceeding the guidelines varied from 0 to 100% depending on the parameter and region, but South Island regions were generally more compliant. The dissolved inorganic N (DIN) to dissolved reactive P (DRP) ratio was used to group data into three nutrient limitation classes: <7:1 (N‐limited), between 7:1 and 15:1 (co‐limited), and>15:l (P‐limited), by mass. P‐limitation was the most frequent scenario in New Zealand streams (overall, 76% of sites were P‐limited, 12% N‐limited, and 12% co‐limited). The mean concentration of the limiting nutrient for each site was combined with empirical relationships to predict periphyton densities (the average of N‐and P‐limited growth was used for sites with co‐limitation). This assessment predicted that 22 sites were likely to exceed the periphyton guideline for protecting benthic biodiversity (50 mg chlorophyll a m^?2), but this assessment is likely to be highly changeable in response to climatic conditions and present and future land use. As an example, we modelled N and P losses from an average sheep and a dairy farm in Southland (South Island, New Zealand) in 1958, 1988, 2008 and 2028. We predicted that with time, as farm systems have and continue to intensify, N losses increase at a greater rate than P losses. Since the pathway for N to reach fresh waters may be more tortuous and take longer than P to reach a stream or river, focusing mitigation on P losses may have a quicker effect on potential algal growth. In addition, with time, it is expected that P‐limitation in New Zealand's rivers and streams will be more widespread as N‐losses are unabated. Hence, although strategies to decrease N losses should be practised, mitigating P losses is also central to preventing eutrophication.     

延庆发展奶牛的气候优势

依据奶牛生物学特性及与气象条件关系,利用延庆地区30年的气候资料,从地理位置、体高、适温条件、不适温条件、温湿指数、相对湿度和日照、风寒指数、饲料条件等多方面,分析论证了延庆在发展奶牛相对于北京平原地区的气候优势.综合分析表明,相对于北京平原地区,延庆气候更适于发展奶牛养殖.     

Land‐use impacts and water quality targets in the intensive dairying catchment of the Toenepi Stream,New Zealand

Water quality monitoring in Toenepi Stream, New Zealand, started in 1995 in a study of dairy farming influences on lowland stream quality and has continued since then with brief interruptions. Surveys have provided information about changes in farm and soil management practices as they relate to environmental sustainability. Although average water quality in Toenepi Stream has changed little during 1995–2004, there have been some notable improvements. Water clarity measured by black disc has improved from 0.6m to 1.5m, and median ammonia‐N and nitrate‐N concentrations have declined by 70% and 57%, respectively. The frequency and magnitude of extreme concentrations have declined—most notably for nitrogen (N) forms, which also had decreased mean values. Specific yields for suspended solids (SS) and phosphorus (P) forms in 2002–04 were 47–67% of 1995–97 values, mainly because of lower water yields. Reduced specific yields for N forms in 2002–04 (34–37% of 1995–97 yields) were also attributable to lower mean concentrations in stream water. Faecal bacteria concentrations have not abated and are on average 2–3 times recommended guideline values for contact recreation. Fewer dairy farms and an increased proportion irrigating dairyshed effluent to land, rather than discharging it to the stream via two‐pond systems, were likely causes of improvement in water quality. Water quality targets were developed for Toenepi Stream to achieve contact recreation criteria for the Piako River (downstream) and for intrinsic habitat values for Toenepi Stream. A range of mitigation measures has been formulated to meet these targets, but substantial uptake of sustainable farming practices is needed to improve water quality in Toenepi Stream.     

RESTRUCTURING AMERICA'S DAIRY FARMS*

ABSTRACT. As the number of American dairy farms rapidly declines, the character and spatial distribution of the remaining farms is undergoing fundamental change. Concentrating on an examination of both the smallest commercial farms (with 10–49 cows) and the largest dairy operations (with at least 500 cows), this study shows that megadairies are spreading from California into Idaho and America's traditional dairy belt, while Amish farmers are growing in prominence among those milking fewer than fifty cows. Although the greatest proportional declines in dairy farms have been among the smaller operations, average farm size throughout much of the nation remains well below 100 cows. Within a decade Amish farmers may operate one‐fifth of the nation's dairy farms as they expand across the traditional dairy belt, and 500‐cow dairies in the Midwest will outnumber those in California.     

Water quality of a lowland stream in a New Zealand dairy farming catchment

A small stream in a predominantly dairying catchment in the Waikato region of New Zealand was monitored for 2 years at three sites. Total nitrogen (TN) concentrations were up to 7.09 g m^‐3 in winter, with the bulk comprising nitrate nitrogen (NO^‐ ₃‐N). During summer NO^‐ ₃‐N was near zero and TN mostly comprised organic nitrogen. Maximum concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were 1.64 and 0.555 g m^‐3, respectively, and peaks coincided with spring and autumn applications of phosphorus fertiliser. Ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations exceeded 1 g m^‐3 on several occasions and mean concentrations at the three sites were 0.165–0.272 g m^‐3. Faecal coliform and enterococci bacteria concentrations were 64–26000 and 7–23000 cfu per 100 ml, respectively. Specific yields of TN and NO^‐ ₃‐N (35.3 and 30.7 kg ha yr^‐1, respectively) were much greater than any previously reported for New Zealand pasture catchments, whereas TP and DRP yields (1.16 and 0.54 kg ha yr^‐1, respectively) were more in accord with other studies. Greater use of land treatment of liquid wastes will reduce stream inputs of faecal organisms, NH₄‐N and P.     

Globalising New Zealand : Fonterra Co-operative Group, and shaping the future

New Zealanders have little collective vision of their position and future in a globalising world. Recent developments in New Zealand's primary sector show potential pathways to the future. We explore two claims: thinking about New Zealand is to think about the emergence of Fonterra Co-operative Group in New Zealand's globalising economy. Thinking about Fonterra is to think about New Zealand and the implications that spring from globalising activities. Fonterra is a lens to understand better the possibilities and development options and the challenges that are arising as New Zealand forges its place in a globalising world.     

Milking the Plains: movement of large dairy operations into southwestern Kansas

Western Kansas has an historical identification with cattle, with a focus on cattle ranching and more specifically since the 1950s, beef-cattle feedlots. Since the mid-1990s large dairy operations have moved into southwestern Kansas. Today more than twenty large dairies house more than 70,000 milk cows. These operate as confined feeding operations similar to beef-cattle feedlots. Regional advantages for the dairy industry include affordable land with wide-open space, local residents' cattle- and dairy-friendly attitudes, and other factors. Regional promoters have actively recruited dairies, and a dairy-business support system has emerged. The prospects for continued expansion of dairies in southwestern Kansas are unclear; despite the locational advantages and the possibility that the industry may continue to relocate here, as did the cattle-feeding industry several decades ago, further moves into the area may depend on continued resources availability and additional infrastructure development.     

An analysis of chemical loads and forms in overland flow from dairy pasture in South Australia

Two adjacent subcatchments on soils with very strong texture contrast between the A soil horizons (sandy loam texture) and B soil horizons (clay texture) in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia were instrumented to collect overland and subsurface flow from dairy pasture. Subcatchments were defined by exclusion drains in the upper reaches and stainless steel barriers at the lower boundary. Water samples were analysed for 20 different chemical fractions. Chemical loads were examined in order to determine relationships among simple empirical event and site characteristics, and between chemical fractions. All but five of the chemical fractions could be separated into one of two clear groups using a statistical technique based on the magnitude of simple correlation coefficients. The two groups consisted of either dissolved or particulate fractions. The clear separation into these groups is consistent with the majority of chemical fractions moving from pasture by one of only two processes. Simple empirical variables in a multiple regression explained a high proportion of variation in chemical loads in runoff water. These findings may have major implications in the modelling and prediction of chemical loads in runoff from agricultural catchments and the setting of environmental limits, in simplifying chemical loss predictions by adding a nutrient loss module to runoff volume predictions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Revitalizing ecological capital

Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography 111(2):149–167, 2011

The modernization of agricultural food production has diminished and is diminishing the sustainable use of the local natural resource base, resulting in the fragmentation of landscapes and the decline of biodiversity. In this paper we analyze the revitalization of ecological capital, which provides insights into how effective adjustments in land-use and farming practices can stimulate a reconnection between farming, nature and society. The paper focuses on a case study about endogenous knowledge on the relation between farm activities and the reproduction of the landscape and its flora and fauna in the (Dutch) Friesian Woodlands. We suggest that building adequate, local institutional frameworks that strengthen landscape structures, regional identity and the ‘branding’ of food products will sustain rural development in the area. The results should be of value for increasing the understanding among researchers and policymakers of the potential of endogenous knowledge in governing the increase of the ecological stock in an area.     

SPECIALTY CROPLAND IN CALIFORNIA*

ABSTRACT. Census data do not support the widespread popular perception that urban encroachment on cropland in California is serious enough to justify programs of farmland preservation. Between 1949 and 1997 the acreage of harvested cropland declined near Los Angeles, in the San Francisco Bay area, and near Sacramento, but the high‐value specialty agricultural production displaced from these areas has been relocated to more distant areas, where it has replaced lower‐value field crops, and specialized agricultural production has increased steadily in the state. Vegetable production in the Salinas Valley and dairying near Los Angeles illustrate the twin processes of relocation and replacement. Urban encroachment actually has been a boon to California agriculture, because it has transferred massive amounts of urban capital to cash‐strapped farmers and enabled them to develop efficient modern operations. Much of the concern about loss of farmland really is concern about loss of open space and amenities, and urban demand for water probably will be a greater constraint on California agriculture than will urban demand for land.