ICP Integrated Monitoring
31.7.2017
Acidification and eutrophication studies
Martin Forsius
Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
ICP IM Programme Centre
Main tasks
exceedances and empirical impact indicators at ICP IM
sites
 Biodiversity assessment – Literature review and first
data analyses
31.7.2017
 Assessment of relationships between critical load
Background
have been instrumental in effect-based protocols to
the UNECE CLRTAP.
 For testing and validation of the key concepts in the
critical load calculations, it is important to study the
link between critical thresholds of acidification and
eutrophication of the ecosystems and empirical
impact indicators.
31.7.2017
 European databases and maps of critical loads
1) Calculate the site-specific critical
loads for acidification and
eutrophication for aquatic and
terrestrial ecosystems, and their
exceedances (ExCL)
2) and present relationships
between ExCL and surface
water chemistry measurements
at 18-24 European ICP IM sites
31.7.2017
Study sites: European IM network
Materials and methods 1/3
• Acidification CLA: Steady State Water Chemistry (SSWC)
(Henriksen and Posch 2001, UBA 2004)
• Eutrophication CLnutN: Mass Balance model for nutrient
nitrogen (UBA 2004)
• For a selection of 18 IM sites from 10 countries (AT, CZ,
DE, EE, FI, GB, LT, LV, NO, SE) for which runoff water
chemistry and runoff measurement data were available
 Exceedances: deposition estimates at IM sites
ExCLA = S dep NAT2000 – CLA
ExCLnutN = N dep NAT2000 – CLnutN
31.7.2017
 Mass balance critical loads
Materials and methods 2/3
 CL for eutrophication: empirical critical load of
nutrient nitrogen CLempN
• Based on empirical studies on the response of natural and
semi-natural ecosystems to nitrogen deposition.
• CLempN are given for a groups of ecosystems, classified
according to the EUNIS-European Nature Information
System- habitat classification for Europe
• 24 IM sites
 Exceedances: ExCL
empN
= N dep NAT2000 - CLempN
31.7.2017
(Bobbink and Hettelingh 2011)
Materials and methods 3/3
• Acidification: annual average runoff water
concentrations and fluxes in the period 2000-2002
for key acidification parameters such as Acid
Neutralising Capacity ANC = (Ca+Mg+Na+K) –
(SO4+Cl+NO3), hydrogen-ion (H+) and non-marine
sulphate (xSO4),
• and eutrophication: total inorganic nutrient
nitrogen (TIN = NO3+NH4)
31.7.2017
 Empirical impact indicators
ExCL: nr of sites protected/not protected in 2000
(NAT2000 projection)
13
5
ExCLnutN
4
14
ExCLempN
5
18
0
5
31.7.2017
ExCLA
10
nr of sites not protected
15
20
nr of sites protected
25
Good agreement between ExCLA and ANC and H+
70
3000
60
2000
1500
1000
500
-cc -0.67
p < 0.05
-500
-6000
30
20
-4000
-2000
0
0
-6000
2000
6000
450
5000
400
H+ (eq ha-1 yr-1)
ANC (eq ha-1 yr-1)
40
10
0
Flux
50
4000
3000
2000
1000
-cc 0.63
p < 0.05
-cc -0.84
p < 0.05
0
-1000
-6000
350
-4000
-2000
0
2000
-2000
0
2000
-cc 0.60
p < 0.05
300
250
200
150
100
50
-4000
-2000
0
ExCLA (eq ha-1 yr-1)
2000
0
-6000
-4000
ExCLA (eq ha-1 yr-1)
31.7.2017
2500
H+ (µeq L-1)
ANC (µeq L-1)
Conc.
3500
ExCLnutN / ExCLempN vs. TIN (NO3 + NH4)
100
-cc 0.61
p < 0.05
80
60
40
20
0
1000
2000
40
-500
0
500
1000
0
500
1000
140
-cc 0.35
p < 0.1
120
TIN (eq ha-1 yr-1)
TIN (eq ha-1 yr-1)
100
60
0
-1000
140
120
80
20
0
-2000
Flux
-cc 0.55
p < 0.05
100
80
60
40
80
60
40
20
20
0
-2000
100
-cc 0.39
p < 0.05
0
-1000
0
ExCLnutN (eq ha-1 yr-1)
1000
-500
ExCLempN (eq ha-1 yr-1)
31.7.2017
TIN (µeq L-1)
Conc.
120
TIN (µeq L-1)
120
Concluding remarks on CL studies
sites
 There was a relatively good agreement between ExCLA and
ANC and H+ in runoff water
 Leaching of N was higher for sites with higher ExCLempN and
ExCLnutN
 Evidence on the link between modelled critical thresholds and
empirical impact indicators
 Scientific paper in preparation, updated results will also be
used for WGE ex-post scenario analyses
31.7.2017
 At the majority of the IM sites (72%), CLA was not exceeded
 Instead, CLempN and CLnutN were exceeded at 7578% of the
Biodiversity assessment
analyses made within the ICP IM subprogrammes
Trunk epiphytes (EP), Aerial green algae (AL),
Understory vegetation and trees on intensive plots
(VG) and Vegetation structure and species cover
(VS).
 Preliminary results of data analyses.
 Results presented in ICP IM Annual Report 2011.
31.7.2017
 Review of published results from monitoring and
Relationship between significant time trends of forest floor
species and Ellenberg indicator values N (nutrient availability),
R (soil pH), L (light availability), F (moisture)
0.6
31.7.2017
0.4
0.2
-0.2
2
3
4
5
0
1
2
3
Ellenberg N
Ellenberg R
Light
Moisture
4
5
6
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.2
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
coefficient of time trend
0.8
1
0.8
0
coefficient of time trend
0.0
coefficient of time trend
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
coefficient of time trend
0.8
Acidity
0.8
Nutrients
0
2
4
Ellenberg L
6
8
0
2
4
Ellenberg F
6
8
31.7.2017
Concluding remarks on biodiversity studies



affected than in the Nordic countries.
Algae or lichens differ in their suitability as indicators. At low
deposition sites, algae may be more suitable as indicator than
lichens.
Species changes are highly variable between sites. The found
significant changes are restricted to few species and the
relationship with air pollution is not very clear.
Further analyses will focus on community changes and changes
of diversity using indicators. The results will again be compared
with CL exceedance.
31.7.2017
 Lichens in high pollution regions in central Europe are more
Thank you for your
attention