Atmospheric ammonia and nitrogen deposition on Irish Natura 2000 sites: Implications for Irish agriculture

Kelleghan, David B.; Hayes, Enda T; Everard, Mark; Keating, Padraig; Lesniak-Podsiadlo, Anna; Curran, Thomas P.

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118611

Cited by 17 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In natural bogs, this would occur when the supply of nitrogenous compounds from the atmosphere exceeds the demand for these by the flora and soil fauna. While the analysis of precipitation was not carried out for the sampled sites at the time of measurement, recent atmospheric ammonia measurements at two sites (Garriskill and Raheenmore) show low (1.18 μg NH 3 /m 3 ) and high (2.34 μg NH 3 /m 3 ) concentrations, respectively (Kelleghan et al, 2021 ). Ammonia has been linked to microbiological shifts on bogs from typical bacteria and fungi to the proliferation of algae (Payne et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An examination of the influence of drained peatlands on regional stream water chemistry

et al. 2023

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Currently, 50% of Irish rivers do not meet water quality standards, with many declining due to numerous pressures, including peatland degradation. This study examines stream water quality in the Irish midlands, a region where raised bogs have been all historically disturbed to various extent and the majority drained for industrial or domestic peat extraction. For the first time, we provide in-depth analysis of stream water chemistry within a heavily modified bog landscape. Small streams from degraded bogs exhibited greater levels of pollutants, in particular: total dissolved nitrogen (0.48 mg/l) and sulphate (18.49 mg/l) as well as higher electrical conductivity (mean: 334 μS/cm) compared to similar bog streams in near-natural bogs. Except for site-specific nitrogen pollution in certain streams surrounding degraded peatlands, the chemical composition of the receiving streams did not significantly differ between near-natural and degraded sites, reflecting the spatio-temporal scales of disturbance in this complex peat-scape. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations in all the receiving streams were high (27.2 mg/l) compared to other Irish streams, even within other peatland catchments. The region is experiencing overall a widespread loss of fluvial nitrogen and carbon calling for (a) the development of management instruments at site-level (water treatment) and landscape-level (rewetting) to assist with meeting water quality standards in the region, and (b) the routine monitoring of water chemistry as part of current and future peatland management activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An examination of the influence of drained peatlands on regional stream water chemistry

et al. 2023

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“…Similarly, the risk of environmental degradation as a result of NH 3 deposition on terrestrial ecosystems is quite high in the ROI due to intensive agricultural production systems. Indeed, Ammonia emission factors from cattle production systems in Ireland -a review after monitoring NH 3 concentrations in 12 Natura 2000 sites in the ROI, Kelleghan et al (2021) observed that 11 sites had exceeded either their critical level or load whereas 10 sites had exceeded both. The MARSH model also identified 80.7% and 5.9% of Natura 2000 sites in the ROI may exceed critical levels of 1 μg/m 3 (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ammonia emission factors from cattle production systems in Ireland – a review

Owusu-Twum,

Kelleghan,

Gleasure

et al. 2024

Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research

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Ammonia (NH3) emissions from livestock production contribute to environmental pollution. To address this challenge, the European Union (EU) National Emission Reduction Commitments Directive 2016/2284 (NECD) sets NH3 reduction targets for EU member states. In order to achieve these targets, several strategies have been evaluated under Irish conditions. A compilation of emission factors (EFs) from studies which evaluated these strategies is necessary to assess their effectiveness. This paper reports NH3 EFs from cattle production under Irish conditions. The results from the review show that the mean EFs from the deposition of dung, urine and urea applied to urine patches on grasslands were 4%, 9% and 8% total nitrogen (TN), respectively. EFs from the application of urea to urine patches were reduced by 28% after the addition of the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) to urea. The mean EF of 28% TN reported for urea fertiliser was almost 7 times higher than calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). The inclusion of urease inhibitors with urea fertilisation on grassland led to EF reduction of up to 86%. The mean EFs from cattle houses, concrete yards, slurry storage pits and slurry landspreading were approximately 13%, 35%, 60% and 59% total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN), respectively. The most effective NH3 abatement strategies for concrete yards and slurry storage were immediate cleaning of concrete floors (up to 89% reduction) after excreta deposition and the application of chemical amendments (sulphuric acid, acetic acid, alum and ferric chloride) to slurry in storage pits (up to 98% reduction), respectively. Low-emission spreading strategies and slurry acidification were effective at abating EFs after slurry application to land.

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Response of testate amoeba assemblages to peatland drain blocking

Evans,

Mullan,

Roe

et al. 2023

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Peatlands represent globally important habitats and carbon stores. However, human impacts and climate change leave peatlands with a substantial management challenge. Degradation of peatland habitats and their hydrological integrity is increasingly counteracted through the rehabilitation of peatlands including re-wetting and drain blocking. Research into how such management interventions affect peatland microbial assemblages is limited. Here, we investigate the response of testate amoebae (established unicellular amoeboid protist indicators of hydrological conditions in peatlands) to drain blocking on three small lowland raised bogs in Northern Ireland, UK. We sampled Sphagnum adjacent to areas of focused flow near sites of damming in addition to control sites away from dam blocking. These restoration measures show complex but meaningful results after restoration. We observe several key developments following dam blocking: (i) species diversity increases; (ii) unambiguous wet indicator taxa appear in increasing abundance at dammed sites; (iii) and transfer-function reconstructed water-table depths show wetter conditions in the dammed sites. These findings imply wetter conditions after restoration, where routine monitoring presented no clear trend in water-table depths. We found no statistically significant assemblage-level response to experimental or environmental variables, which may be related to antecedent conditions and significant periods of drought during the study period. Thus, caution is advised when utilising testate amoebae for bioindication until their assemblage-level response to restoration is better understood. Nevertheless, this study emphasises the potential of an indicator-taxa based approach to applying testate amoebae as contemporary bioindicators of peatland restoration—particularly on short-term timescales immediately following restoration.

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Atmospheric ammonia and nitrogen deposition on Irish Natura 2000 sites: Implications for Irish agriculture

Cited by 17 publications

References 48 publications

An examination of the influence of drained peatlands on regional stream water chemistry

An examination of the influence of drained peatlands on regional stream water chemistry

Ammonia emission factors from cattle production systems in Ireland – a review

Response of testate amoeba assemblages to peatland drain blocking

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