Markert Nele, Schürings Christian, Feld Christian K
University Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; North Rhine-Westphalia Office of Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV NRW), 40208 Düsseldorf, Germany.
University Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Mar 20;917:170583. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170583. Epub 2024 Feb 1.
River monitoring programs worldwide consistently unveil micropollutant concentrations (pesticide, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals) exceeding regulatory quality targets with deteriorating effects on aquatic communities. However, both the composition and individual concentrations of micropollutants are likely to vary with the catchment land use, in particular regarding urban and agricultural area as the primary sources of micropollutants. In this study, we used a dataset of 109 governmental monitoring sites with micropollutants monitored across the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to investigate the relationship between high-resolution catchment land use (distinguishing urban, forested and grassland area as well as 22 different agricultural crop types) and 39 micropollutants using Linear Mixed Models (LMMs). Ecotoxicological risks were indicated for mixtures of pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals for 100 % and for pesticides for 55 % of the sites. The proportion of urban area in the catchment was positively related with concentrations of most pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals (R up to 0.54), whereas the proportions of grassland and forested areas generally showed negative relations. Cropland overall showed weak positive relationships with micropollutant concentrations (R up to 0.29). Individual crop types, particularly vegetables and permanent crops, showed higher relations (R up to 0.46). The findings suggest that crop type-specific pesticide applications are mirrored in the detected micropollutant concentrations. This highlights the need for high-resolution spatial land use to investigate the magnitude and dynamics of micropollutant exposure and relevant pollution sources, which would remain undetected with highly aggregated land use classifications. Moreover, the findings imply the need for tailored management measures to reduce micropollutant concentrations from different sources and their related ecological effects. Urban point sources, could be managed by advanced wastewater treatment. The reduction of diffuse pollution from agricultural land uses requires additional measures, to prevent pesticides from entering the environment and exceeding regulatory quality targets.
全球范围内的河流监测项目不断揭示出微污染物（农药、药品和工业化学品）的浓度超过监管质量目标，对水生生物群落产生日益恶化的影响。然而，微污染物的成分和个体浓度可能会随集水区土地利用情况而变化，特别是城市和农业区域作为微污染物的主要来源。在本研究中，我们使用了德国北莱茵 - 威斯特法伦州109个政府监测点的数据集，这些监测点对微污染物进行了监测，通过线性混合模型（LMMs）研究高分辨率集水区土地利用（区分城市、森林和草地面积以及22种不同的农作物类型）与39种微污染物之间的关系。100%的监测点显示药品和工业化学品混合物存在生态毒理学风险，55%的监测点显示农药存在生态毒理学风险。集水区内城市区域的比例与大多数药品和工业化学品的浓度呈正相关（R高达0.54），而草地和森林区域的比例通常呈负相关。农田总体上与微污染物浓度呈弱正相关（R高达0.29）。个别作物类型，特别是蔬菜和多年生作物，显示出更高的相关性（R高达0.46）。研究结果表明，特定作物类型的农药施用反映在检测到的微污染物浓度中。这凸显了需要高分辨率的空间土地利用来调查微污染物暴露的程度和动态以及相关污染源，而高度汇总的土地利用分类将无法检测到这些污染源。此外，研究结果意味着需要采取针对性的管理措施来降低不同来源的微污染物浓度及其相关的生态影响。城市点源污染可以通过先进的污水处理来管理。减少农业土地利用产生的面源污染需要额外的措施，以防止农药进入环境并超过监管质量目标。
