Agriculture, meteorology and water quality in ireland: a regional evaluation of pressures and pathways of nutrient loss to water
Rogier P.O. Schulte,Karl G. Richards,Karen Daly,Isabelle Kurz,E. McDonald,Nicholas M. Holden +5 more
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This paper quantifies and map the spatio-temporal variability of agro-meteorological factors that control nutrient pressures and pathways of nutrient loss, and evaluates their impact on the water quality of Irish rivers.Abstract:
The main environmental impact of Irish agriculture on surface and ground water quality is the potential transfer of nutrients to water. Soil water dynamics mediate the transport of nutrients to water, and these dynamics in turn depend on agro-meteorological conditions, which show large variations between regions, seasons and years. In this paper we quantify and map the spatio-temporal variability of agro-meteorological factors that control nutrient pressures and pathways of nutrient loss. Subsequently, we evaluate their impact on the water quality of Irish rivers. For nitrogen, pressure and pathways factors coincide in eastern and southern areas, which is reflected in higher nitrate levels of the rivers in these regions. For phosphorus, pathway factors are most pronounced in north-western parts of the country. In south-eastern parts, high pressure factors result in reduced biological water quality. These regional differences require that farm practices be customised to reflect the local risk of nutrient loss to water. Where pathways for phosphorus loss are present almost year-round * as is the case in most of the north-western part of the country * build-up of pressures should be prevented, or ameliorated where already high. In south-eastern areas, spatio-temporal coincidence of nutrient pressures and pathways should be prevented, which poses challenges to grassland management.read more
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Functional land management: A framework for managing soil-based ecosystem services for the sustainable intensification of agriculture
Rogier P.O. Schulte,Rachel Creamer,Trevor Donnellan,Niall Farrelly,Reamonn Fealy,Cathal O'Donoghue,Daire O’hUallachain +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual framework for the quantification of the "supply of" and "demand for" agricultural, soil-based ecosystem services or "soil functions" is presented.
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Modelling soil phosphorus decline: Expectations of Water Framework Directive policies
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used soil plot data from eight common soil associations to develop a model of Soil Test P (STP) (Morgan's extract) decline following periods of zero P amendment.
Journal ArticleDOI
Making the Most of Our Land: Managing Soil Functions from Local to Continental Scale
Rogier P.O. Schulte,Rogier P.O. Schulte,Francesca Bampa,Marion Bardy,Cait Coyle,Rachel Creamer,Reamonn Fealy,Ciro Gardi,Bhim Bahadur Ghaley,Phil Jordan,Hjalmar Laudon,Cathal O'Donoghue,Daire O’hUallachain,Lilian O’Sullivan,Michiel Rutgers,Johan Six,Gergely Tóth,Dirk Vrebos +17 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how the demands for contrasting soil functions, as framed by EU policies, may apply to very different spatial scales, from local to continental scales, using Ireland as a national case study, with large variations at both local and regional scales.
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Approaches to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive: targeting mitigation measures at critical source areas of diffuse phosphorus in Irish catchments
TL;DR: A conceptual framework for a tiered CSA-based approach to assist in the development of supplementary measures would provide a means of developing catchment-specific and cost-effective programmes of measures for diffuse P in High Status Waterbodies (HSW).
Journal ArticleDOI
Evaluation of cover crop and reduced cultivation for reducing nitrate leaching in Ireland.
TL;DR: It is suggested that cover crops will be of particular value in reducing NO(3) loss in temperate regions with mild winters, where winter N mineralization is important and high winter temperatures favor a long growing season.
References
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Relationship between Phosphorus Levels in Three Ultisols and Phosphorus Concentrations in Runoff
Daniel H. Pote,Tommy C. Daniel,D. J. Nichols,Andrew N. Sharpley,Philip A. Moore,David M. Miller,D. R. Edwards +6 more
TL;DR: Mehlich et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the correlation between soil test P (STP) and dissolved reactive P (DRP) levels in runoff, and determined the effect of site hydrology on correlations between STP and runoff DRP.
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Characterising phosphorus loss in surface and subsurface hydrological pathways
Ann Louise Heathwaite,R. M. Dils +1 more
TL;DR: The magnitude and composition of the phosphorus (P) load transported in surface and subsurface hydrological pathways from a grassland catchment depends on the discharge capacity of the flow route and the frequency with which the pathway operates.
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The phosphorus transfer continuum : linking source to impact with an interdisciplinary and multi-scaled approach
TL;DR: This critical review introduces a template that links phosphorus sources and mobilisation processes to the delivery of P to receiving waters where deleterious impact is of concern and describes the entire process in terms of a 'P transfer continuum' to emphasise the interdisciplinary and inter-scale nature of the problem.
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Nitrate leaching from grazed grassland lysimeters: effects of fertilizer input, field drainage, age of sward and patterns of weather
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effect of the route of water through soil to the watercourse on the maximum leaching of grassland lysimeter plots in south-west England.