Risk assessment methodologies of soil threats in Europe: status and options for harmonization for risks by erosion, compaction, salinization, organic matter decline and landslides

The EU thematic strategy for soil protection recognizes that soil degradation through erosion, soil organic matter decline, compaction, salinization and landslides occurs in specific areas, and that these areas must be identified in an unequivocal way. Currently, there are various risk assessment methodologies (RAMs) and the question has risen to what extent these RAMs yield similar outcome and, if not, whether the outcome can be harmonized, i.e. whether the results of the various RAMs can be made compatible or comparable. In this study i) the current status of RAMs for erosion, soil organic matter decline, compaction, and salinization in the European Union (EU27) is reviewed, and ii) the need and the options for harmonization are assessed. The need for harmonization was defined as the likelihood of achieving different outcomes when using different RAMs, whereas the options for harmonization refer to the efforts that are required to harmonize soil RAMs. The current status of RAMSs in EU-27 was assessed on the basis of questionnaires, which were sent out to soil specialists and policy officers in all Member States. We received more than 100 (response rate >50%) completed questionnaires. It turned out that many of the so called RAMs are still incomplete; they are ‘process (or threat) quantifications’ rather than methodologies that assess the risk of a soil threat. Moreover, there were significant differences between RAMs for a soil threat in terms of (i) the notion of the threat, (ii) data collection, (iii) data processing, (iv) data interpretation, and (v) risk perception. The need for harmonization appeared highest for erosion and salinization, whereas the options for harmonization were best for SOM decline. Harmonization of soil RAMs may be very complex and for that reason not always feasible. We suggest two options that may facilitate unequivocal identification of risk (or priority) areas for soil threats, i) a two Tiered approach based on data availability and spatial scale and ii) generic harmonization, i.e. combining standardization and harmonization in a rather pragmatic wa

What can scenario modelling tell us about future European scale agricultural land use, and what not?

Given scenarios describing future climates and socio-techno-economics, this study estimates the consequences for agricultural land use, combining models of crop growth and farm decision making to predict profitability over the whole of Europe, driven solely by soil and climate at each location. Each location is then classified by its profitability as intensive or extensive agriculture or not suitable for agriculture. The main effects of both climate and socio- economics were in the agriculturally marginal areas of Europe. The results showed the effect of different climates is relatively small, whereas there are large variations when economic scenarios are included. Only Finland's agricultural area significantly responds to climate by increasing at the expense of forests in several scenarios. Several locations show more difference due to climate model (PCM versus HadCM3) than emission scenario, because of large differences in predicted precipitation, notably the Ardennes switching to arable in HadCM3. Scenario modelling has identified several such regions where there is a need to be watchful, but few where all of the scenario results agree, suggesting great uncertainty in future projections. Thus, it has not been possible to predict any futures, though all results agree that in Central Europe, changes are likely to be relatively small

A Decision Support Tool for Simulating the Effects

This paper presents the methodology applied and results obtained from testing the Decision Support Syste‘mDSS’ developed by the MULINO Project (Multi-sectoral, integrated and operational decision support system for the sustainable use of water resources at the catchment scale), for assessing alternative measures for the reduction of nitrogen pressure from agriculture on water resources at European level. The European policy background is set by the EU Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) and the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The nature of the research is exploratory. It is aimed in particular at testing the usefulness of available official statistics for ex ante evaluations of alternative policy measures at the European scale, and the feasibility of such operations within the newly released mDSS software. Alternative measures for reducing N-pressure and spatial targets were designed and simulated in a GIS environment based on raster maps of 1 km resolution. The geographic extent of the present work is defined as the agricultural land of EU15. Data deriving from official statistics were used to calculate a simplified nitrogen balance, in which the sources of nitrogen are separated into organic (livestock manure) and mineral fertilisers, to distinguish the potential contribution of livestock and crop productions to water pollution at the river basin scale. Spatial indicators and evaluation indices were defined within a conceptual framework. For the study the DPSIR approach (Driving force, Pressure, State, Impact, Response), proposed by the European Environmental Agency, was adopted. The approach was subsequently elaborated by means of the multi-criteria functionality provided by mDSS. The results of this application test at the regional scale highlight the potential of the tool for evaluating the effects of policy measures targeted at different spatial implementation strategies through the application of simple screening models and using available data covering the EU15.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

A Decision Support tool for simulating the effects of alternative policies affecting water resources: an application at the European scale

This paper presents the methodology applied and results obtained from testing the Decision Support System 'mDSS' developed by the MULINO Project (Multi-sectoral, integrated and operational decision support system for the sustainable use of water resources at the catchment scale), for assessing alternative measures for the reduction of nitrogen pressure from agriculture on water resources at European level. The European policy background is set by the EU Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) and the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The nature of the research is exploratory. It is aimed in particular at testing the usefulness of available official statistics for ex ante evaluations of alternative policy measures at the European scale, and the feasibility of such operations within the newly released mDSS software. Alternative measures for reducing N-pressure and spatial targets were designed and simulated in a GIS environment based on raster maps of 1 km resolution. The geographic extent of the present work is defined as the agricultural land of EU15. Data deriving from official statistics were used to calculate a simplified nitrogen balance, in which the sources of nitrogen are separated into organic (livestock manure) and mineral fertilisers, to distinguish the potential contribution of livestock and crop productions to water pollution at the river basin scale. Spatial indicators and evaluation indices were defined within a conceptual framework. For the study the DPSIR approach (Driving force, Pressure, State, Impact, Response), proposed by the European Environmental Agency, was adopted. The approach was subsequently elaborated by means of the multi-criteria functionality provided by mDSS. The results of this application test at the regional scale highlight the potential of the tool for evaluating the effects of policy measures targeted at different spatial implementation strategies through the application of simple screening models and using available data covering the EU15. The paper also contributes to identifying current strengths and weaknesses of available information, of the adopted methodology and the DSS tool

Les circulations fluides dans le bâti Sud-Limousin à la fin du carbonifère (relations entre les systèmes hydrothermaux de la faille d'Argentat et Saint-Yrieix)

L'étude des circulations fluides a été entreprise pour mieux comprendre la métallogénie de l'or dans le Sud Limousin. Il s'agit de tester l'hypothèse d'une relation de cause à effet entre les circulations liées à la faille d'Argentat et les minéralisations du district de St-Yrieix (Roig et al., 1997). Cette étude, combinant l'analyse microstructurale, la microthermométrie et la spectrométrie Raman, a été menée dans le secteur d'Argentat où rien n'est encore connu et dans le secteur de St- Yrieix, pour y comparer les circulations régionales avec celles des failles aurifères. À St-Yrieix, on trouve, à l'échelle régionale, les mêmes fluides que dans les gisements d'or : un premier fluide aquo-carboniques (CO2 >> CH4 > N2) pseudo-métamorphiques circulant dans un régime de décompression lente depuis une profondeur de 10-15 km, à 450- 400C, finissant par une distension autour de 5-6 km avec une invasion météorique et refroidissement (350-300C), un deuxième fluide chaud (>=400C) et salés (>=15% pds éq. NaCI) également profonde, témoignant d'une recharge thermique, se mélange avec des eaux météoriques froides, à l'origine du dépôt de l'or. À Argentat, les drains microfissuraux résultent de l'alternance d'épisodes en compression et d'épisodes en extension; les mêmes fluides que dans le secteur de St-Yrieix y sont reconnus (mêmes régimes P- T), mais avec des circulations beaucoup moins persuasives et une inversion de température: fluides salés froids (<200C) et eaux météoriques chaudes (300C). La comparaison des résultats dans les deux secteurs conduit à infirmer l 'hypothèse de départ, en inversant le sens des circulations régionales: la faille d' Argentat aurait été alimentée en fluides profonds (notamment au stade de dépôt de l'or) par une source que l'on peut envisager de situer dans la croûte moyenne, sous le district de St-Yrieix, et qui serait liée à la mise en place, autour de 305 Ma, d'un batholite granitique comparable à celui du Velay dans les Cévennes.NANCY-INPL-Bib. électronique (545479901) / SudocSudocFranceF