Current danish policies to abate nutrient emissions from agriculture

The history and rationale of environmental regulation with respect to nutrient emissions from Danish agriculture is briefly outlined, while the current regulation is detailed through reference to and statement of actual paragraphs in statutory orders. The present regulations mainly concern nitrogen losses in the form of farm waste discharges, ammonia volatilization from animal manure and nitrate leaching from agricultural land. Being an important nutrient, phosphorus is only considered implicitly in the regulations. The main elements of the regulations include provisions for storage capacity of animal manure, livestock density on a farm basis, and mandatory submission of fertilizer and crop rotation plans to the authorities. The fertilizer plans and the resulting agricultural practices with respect to the use of both commercial fertilizers and animal manures must comply with normative fertilizer values, stated as a function of the yield expectation of agricultural crops, and minimum utilization efficiencies of animal manure. It is thus a violation of Danish laws and regulations to apply more fertilizer than indicated by the normative values in the statutory orders (and violation of the provisions may be punished by fines). The current regulations apply advisory and regulatory instruments. Financial instruments are not used. It is therefore important that where aspects of the common agricultural policy have a potential to reduce nutrient emissions, this potential is used to the full.     

Colin Patterson (1933–1998): a major vertebrate palaeontologist of this century

Geologie en Mijnbouw -     

Processing RoxAnn sonar data to improve its categorization of lake bed surficial substrates†

To categorize spawning and nursery habitat for lake trout in Minnesota's near shore waters of Lake Superior, data was collected with a single beam echo sounder coupled with a RoxAnn bottom classification sensor. Test areas representative of the different bottom surficial substrates were sampled. The collected data consisted of acoustic signals which showed both depth and substrate type. The location of the signals was tagged in real-time with a DGPS. All data was imported into a GIS database. To better interpret the output signal from the RoxAnn, several pattern classifiers were developed by multivariate statistical method. From the data a detailed and accurate map of lake bed bathymetry and surficial substrate types was produced. This map will be of great value to fishery and other natural resource managers.     

Treatment of Domestic sewage in lagoons

Summary At Fuglebjerg, County of Soroe, South Zeeland (about 1000 inhabitants) a sewage treatment plant, consisting of three lagoons in series, has been installed in an empty gravel pit. The plant has been in use since May 1952 and has produced a most satisfactory effluent. Two times a year, chemical, bacteriological, and biological examinations have been performed, besides occasional more restricted investigations. The bacteriological examinations have chiefly taken into consideration, the reduction in counts of faecal bacteria, of whichE. coli is diminished considerably,Str. faecalis, and especiallyCl. welchii much less. The special value of the two last mentioned organisms as indicators of the efficiency of purification and the condition in the receiving streams is stressed. As regards the change in microflora in the course of treatment, a variation takes place from polysaprobic micro-communities characterized bybacteria andflagellates via α-mesosaprobic zones (flagellates andblue-green algae) to β-mesosaprobic conditions dominated bydiatoms.     

Environmental regulations of agriculture in the Baltic Sea catchment areas, with reference to the European Union and the North Sea

The environmental policies aimed at reducing nutrient emissions from the agricultural sectors in the Baltic states, Poland, Germany and Scandinavia are detailed. The emissions include leaching, run-off and erosion losses of nitrogen and phosphorus, volatile losses of ammonia, and farm waste discharges. Farm waste discharges and nitrate leaching from agricultural fields have received considerable attention during the last few decades, but more recently the remaining loss categories have also been recognized as substantial contributors of nutrients to the environment.

Environmental targets have been set in the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Ministerial Declaration of 15 February 1988, stating that a significant reduction (e.g. 50%) of the nutrient load to the Baltic Sea shall be reached before 1995. A similar target for the Oslo and Paris (OSPARCOM) Convention waters has been set by the North Sea ministers, while the EU Nitrate Directive expresses an environmental standard by setting an upper limit to nitrate concentrations in groundwater.

It is argued here that in most instances only marginal reductions in agricultural emissions will be achieved under the current policies before 1995 (or later). Exceptions are seen in transition economy countries where fertilizer consumption and livestock production have decreased significantly. As agriculture is a major source of nutrients to convention waters, the overall 50% reduction target will not be met. Furthermore, it is argued that there is scope for a considerable reduction of losses from agriculture and that the instruments to achieve the objectives are readily available. Measures should focus on the total input of nutrients to the agro-ecosystems and not so much attempt to regulate specific management practices. The more prominent instruments include the reduction or alteration of agricultural subsidies, market considerations and the use of environmental taxes (on fertilizers and nutrients in animal manure) combined with in-depth structural regulations. It is, however, necessary to generate further political willingness to ensure decisions and successful implementation of the various measures—a process which requires public attention.