Land-use and agriculture in Denmark around year 1900 and the quest for EU Water Framework Directive reference conditions in coastal waters
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10886934 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bent T Christensen (0000-0003-4326-9192, Aarhus University, corresponding author), Birger Faurholt Pedersen (Aarhus University), Jørgen Eivind Olesen (0000-0002-6639-1273, Aarhus University), Jørgen Eriksen (0000-0002-4622-7660, Aarhus University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 1882-1893 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AMBIO (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0044-7447 • E-ISSN: 1654-7209 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s13280-021-01536-8 |
| PMID | 33738728 |
| OpenAlex | W3137926184 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect the ecological status of coastal waters. To establish acceptable boundaries between good and moderate ecological status, the WFD calls for reference conditions practically undisturbed by human impact. For Denmark, the nitrogen (N) concentrations present around year 1900 have been suggested to represent reference conditions. As the N load of coastal waters relates closely to runoff from land, any reduction in load links to agricultural activity. We challenge the current use of historical N balances to establish WFD reference conditions and initiate an alternative approach based on parish-level land-use statistics collected 1896/1900 and N concentrations in root zone percolates from experiments with year 1900-relevant management. This approach may be more widely applicable for landscapes with detailed historic information on agricultural activity. Using this approach, we find an average N concentration in root zone percolates that is close to that of current agriculture. Thus, considering Danish coastal waters to be practically unaffected by human activity around year 1900 remains futile as 75% of the land area was subject to agricultural activity with a substantial potential for N loss to the environment. It appears unlikely that the ecological state of coastal waters around year 1900 may serve as WFD reference condition
Agriculture · Archaeology · Directive · Environmental planning · Environmental protection · Environmental resource management · Geography · Hydrology (agriculture · Water Framework Directive · Water quality · Water resource management · Coastal and Marine Management · Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics · Computer Science · Ecology · Environmental Science · Geology · Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
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Comparing nutrient reference concentrations in Nordic countries with focus on lowland rivers
| Highly cited | No |
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