Effects of air pollution on European ecosystems

Author (Corporate)
Publisher
Series Title
Series Details No.11, 2014
Publication Date 30/06/2014
ISBN 978-92-9213-463-1
ISSN 1725–2237
Content Type

Past and future exposure of European freshwater and terrestrial habitats to acidifying and eutrophying air pollutants.

Poor air quality not only harms human health; it also impacts the structure and function of ecosystems, often far away from the emission sources. This report focuses on the deposition of airborne sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) compounds and their negative effects on ecosystems. N- and S-containing air pollutants are released to the atmosphere by combustion processes such as the burning of coal or petrol, and by non-combustion processes such as agricultural fertiliser application (EEA, 2013a; EEA, 2014a). The report evaluates how European ecosystems were affected by acidifying and eutrophying air pollutants in the past decades, and also how they are predicted to be affected in the future if the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) will be fully implemented by 2020. The presented results will be used to inform forthcoming updates of the EEA Core Set Indicator 'Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone' (CSI 005) (EEA, 2012a) and the biodiversity indicator 'Critical load exceedance for nitrogen' (Streamlining European Biodiversity Indicators; SEBI 009) (EEA, 2010a)

Source Link http://dx.publications.europa.eu/10.2800/18365
Related Links
Find further EEA publications via the EU Bookshop http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/eea-european-environment-agency-cbmysKABstXFIAAAEjDIcY4e5K/
EEA: News, 30.06.14: Air pollution still harming Europe's ecosystems, despite reduced emissions http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/air-pollution-still-harming-europe2019s

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