PARENT SESSION

5B a - RA/ Ranking and Chemical Specific
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Tuesday, 29 April 2003
Chair: Loonen, H.¹, ¹
Co-chair: McCarty, L.², ²

(TUP/208) Learning-system for integrated assessment and monitoring - case-study on pesticide concentrations in Danish streams.

Thomsen, Marianne¹, Borgen Sørensen, Peter¹, Fauser, Patrik¹, Kronvang, Brian², Gyldenkærne, Steen¹, Brüggemann, Rainer³, ¹ National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Policy Analysis, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark² National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Freshwater Ecology, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark³ Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department Ecohydrology, D-12587, Berlin, Germany

ABSTRACT- An increasing amount of data is generated from monitoring programmes. It is therefore important to develop methodologies in order to gain as much valuable information as possible from these data. In this context predictive and guiding tools, designed to support regulations and prioritisations in environmental management, in order to increase the environmental quality, are of high value. As a first step in this procedure the monitoring data need to be analysed in order to identify the governing descriptors responsible for the state and development in environmental quality. This case-study focus on environmental quality in terms of pesticides monitored in 27 Danish streams. Interpreting monitoring data at landscape level is often a difficult task due the number and complexity of parameters influencing the monitoring data. Simple empirical relationships between descriptors and monitoring data are often difficult to find. However, using newly developed ranking methods it seems possible to identify valuable information, which can help to utilise the monitoring data in the environmental management process. Partial order correlation-analysis is used for classifying the chemicals into emission-dominated and fate-dominated patterns of occurrence. Geographical mapping of hazard potential according to environmental quality of streams is quantified and compounds for which investigative monitoring, in search for metabolites, are needed is identified. Descriptors included are based on three types of parameters 1) emission patterns and sources, 2) the inherent environmental parameters characteristic for different catchment areas and 3) the physico-chemical properties of the individual chemicals.

Key words: Ranking, Partial order Correlation-Analysis, integrated assessment and monitoring, pesticides