Chemical monitoring of river water bodies in an EU outermost region: examples from the Azores archipelago (Portugal)

Cruz, J. Virgílio; Pacheco, Dina; Coutinho, Rui; Cymbron, Raquel; Mendes, Sandra; Antunes, P.; Fontiela, João; Freire, P.

doi:10.1039/c0em00221f

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Previous research on river water chemistry in the archipelago has shown that the higher NO 3 contents are associated to areas where pasture lands are dominant [54], and despite the contribution of urban wastewater point sources, agriculture non-point sources are also critical for surface water pollution [42].…”

Section: Nitrates Occurrence and Fluxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to compare the groundwater results, the NO 3 surface water flux to the coastal water bodies was also estimated from the total runoff computed for the several islands [45] times the mean river water composition data described in [42]. In islands such as Santa Maria, São Miguel, Faial and Flores, the mean nitrate content for each watershed delimited as surface water bodies according the EU Water Framework Directive corresponds to the monitoring data in the river mouth, while the content for the entire island corresponds to the mean value that is determined with measurements made in the several watersheds.…”

Section: Nitrates Occurrence and Fluxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accordingly, the 2015-2021 Azores River Basin Management Plan showed that from the 30 coastal water bodies delimited, 89% have an Studies conducted in the Azores archipelago have shown that surface water and groundwater pollution due to agriculture may be a major concern to water authorities. In fact, through both the application of synthetic and organic fertilizers and the leaching of pasture lands, nutrient enrichment in waters occurred, sometimes associated to microbiology pollution, which led to the failure to comply with EU and national water quality regulations [38][39][40][41][42][43]. Due to the hydrogeological setting and nitrogen pollution loads, groundwater pollution risk was also considered a major concern in some areas along the archipelago [44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrates in Groundwater Discharges from the Azores Archipelago: Occurrence and Fluxes to Coastal Waters

Cruz

Andrade

Pacheco³

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:Groundwater discharge is an important vector of chemical fluxes to the ocean environment, and as the concentration of nutrients is often higher in discharging groundwater, the deterioration of water quality in the receiving environment can be the result. The main objective of the present paper is to estimate the total NO 3 flux to coastal water bodies due to groundwater discharge in the volcanic Azores archipelago (Portugal). Therefore, 78 springs discharging from perched-water bodies have been monitored since 2003, corresponding to cold (mean = 14.9 • C) and low mineralized (47.2-583 µS/cm) groundwater from the sodium-bicarbonate to sodium-chloride water types. A set of 36 wells was also monitored, presenting groundwater with a higher mineralization. The nitrate content in springs range between 0.02 and 37.4 mg/L, and the most enriched samples are associated to the impact of agricultural activities. The total groundwater NO 3 flux to the ocean is estimated in the range of 5.23 × 10 3 to 190.6 × 10 3 mol/km 2 /a (∑ =~523 × 10 3 mol/km 2 /a), exceeding the total flux associated to surface runoff (∑ =~281 × 10 3 mol/km 2 /a). In the majority of the islands, the estimated fluxes are higher than runoff fluxes, with the exception of Pico (47.2%), Corvo (46%) and Faial (7.2%). The total N-NO 3 flux estimated in the Azores (~118.9 × 10 3 mol/km 2 /a) is in the lower range of estimates made in other volcanic islands.

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Section: Nitrates Occurrence and Fluxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nitrates Occurrence and Fluxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrates in Groundwater Discharges from the Azores Archipelago: Occurrence and Fluxes to Coastal Waters

Cruz

Andrade

Pacheco³

et al. 2017

Water

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“…The Council Directive 2008/105/EC of 16 December 2008 established environmental quality standards in the field of water policy and management. This directive has been introduced to protect and achieve sustainable development water resource systems in the European Union countries (Cruz et al [3]). It establishes annual averages and maximum allowable concentrations (environmental quality standards) for priority substances and pollutants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of multivariate observations from a monitoring station of a river basin

Capilla¹

2013

Ecosystems and Sustainable Development IX

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Water quality evaluation provides important information to estimate water system status and to test for compliance with standards. The present work analyzes changes concerning the quality of surface water using a data set from a monitoring station of a Mediterranean river basin. The data set has a dependency structure that renders it multivariate. Principal component analysis is applied to characterize associations present in the multivariate measurements. The principal component scores exhibit temporal correlation. A combined Shewhart-CUSUM control chart is applied to the residuals of the scores time series model to detect changes in the mean level of the data set during the study period. This method detects an outlying observation in the study period due to an extreme value in magnesium concentration. The multivariate assessment of trend is performed using non-parametric tests. The covariance inversion test supported rejection of the hypothesis of no trend in the variables defined with each combination of water quality parameters and month. There is heterogeneity between the trends in the different combinations and an overall trend is not representative. The partial Mann-Kendall test is employed to analyze the trends of each physicochemical variable in the study months. Conductivity trends in two months (May and June) are significant and upward. In the same months calcium trend is also significant but downward. Sodium concentrations exhibit a significant decreasing trend in April. Magnesium levels significantly decrease in March but have an upward trend in June.

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“…The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was introduced to achieve protection and sustainable development of water resources in the European Union (EU) countries [1]. Subsequently the EU established Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for 33 priority substances and other certain pollutants [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Quality Status of Rivers for the Water Framework Directive: A Case Study of Toxic Metals in North West England

Rowland

Neal

Sleep

et al. 2011

Water

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This paper provides data from two years of monitoring of the chemical quality of rivers and streams in North West England from the clean headwaters to polluted rivers just above the tidal reach and covers 26 sites including the Ribble, Wyre and the tributary rivers of the Calder and Douglas. Across the basins that include areas of rural, urban and industrial typologies, data is presented for three of the priority substances in the Water Framework Directive i.e., nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Average concentrations are low and well below the Environmental Quality Standards values for all three of these substances. Cadmium and Pb appear in approximately equal proportions in the dissolved (<0.45 µm) and in the acid available particulate fractions (>0.45 µm) whilst Ni occurs predominantly in the dissolved form (92%). Regional inputs of these metals arise mostly from diffuse sources as the storm-flow concentrations are generally greater than at base-flow condition. Greater concentrations of Ni are transported at the headwaters and smaller tributary sites under storm flow condition than for the main stream of the Ribble. For Ni, amounts increase as the river proceeds from its headwaters down towards the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, whilst Cd and Pb show consistent values throughout the catchment. There is annual cycling of dissolved concentrations of Cd, Pb and Ni for the clean headwater streams that gives maxima during the latter half of the year when the river flow is greater. For the impacted sites the pattern is less distinct or absent. Our estimates

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Chemical monitoring of river water bodies in an EU outermost region: examples from the Azores archipelago (Portugal)

Cited by 15 publications

References 24 publications

Nitrates in Groundwater Discharges from the Azores Archipelago: Occurrence and Fluxes to Coastal Waters

Nitrates in Groundwater Discharges from the Azores Archipelago: Occurrence and Fluxes to Coastal Waters

Analysis of multivariate observations from a monitoring station of a river basin

Chemical Quality Status of Rivers for the Water Framework Directive: A Case Study of Toxic Metals in North West England

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