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New report published looking at the role of habitat management and nitrogen deposition in a changing climate
Review of the effectiveness of on-site habitat management to reduce atmospheric nitrogen deposition impacts on terrestrial habitats
A growing body of evidence has been accumulating in recent years to demonstrate the harmful effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on habitats of conservation importance. The report looks at the role of habitat management and how it may interact with nitrogen deposition in a changing climate. The report concluded that current management practices may already be partially offsetting some of the impacts of nitrogen deposition. However, further emission cuts will be required alongside appropriate habitat management to protect conservation interests. Recommendations are made on how the work could be developed and tested. The work was funded by all the UK statutory conservation bodies and can be found at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/ccwsciencereport1037.pdf
Scottish Air Quality Monitoring Strategy Workshop
A Workshop to help in the development of the Scottish Air Quality Monitoring Strategy is being held at the Scottish Government, Victoria Quay on the 28th August 2012. The Workshop aims to cover the following issues:
- Identify current air monitoring networks, their capacity and use of data
- Identify potential gaps in the monitoring networks and data collections
- Identify the future drivers for air quality within Scotland
- Improve public awareness and participation towards air quality monitoring
In order to register for the workshop, please contact colin.gillepsie@sepa.org.uk by the 10th August
UK environment improves as chemical climate responds to air pollution policies
A major new review has found that the chemical climate of the UK has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, and continues to change as a consequence of UK and European policies to solve air pollution problems.
Sulphur emissions and concentrations have greatly declined, rain is no longer acid, and soils and freshwaters are slowly recovering.
The findings are contained within the Review of Transboundary Air Pollution (RoTAP), published last month, which examined changing patterns in acidification, eutrophication, ground level ozone and heavy metals in the UK.
CCW Report : Impacts Of Additional Aerial Inputs Of Nitrogen To Salt Marsh And Transitional Habitats
The Countryside Council for Wales has published a report of atmospheric nitrogen impacts on saltmarsh habitats. CCW Science Report 995 is a review of the relative contributions of atmospheric and aqueous sources to UK salt marshes. The report provides advice on which end of the current nitrogen critical load range (20 - 30kgN/ha/year) to apply to different areas of saltmarsh when assessing nitrogen deposition impacts.
JNCC Air Pollution Bulletin
JNCC has recently published its Air Pollution Bulletin, which provides an update on the air pollution work it undertakes together with the country conservation bodies.
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