Browsing by Author "Haygarth, P. M."

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    Assessing multiple novel tracers to improve the understanding of the contribution of agricultural farm waste to diffuse water pollution
    (2010-12-31T00:00:00Z) Granger, S. J.; Bol, R.; Dixon, L.; Naden, P. S.; Old, G. H.; Marsh, J. K.; Bilotta, G.; Brazier, R.; White, S. M.; Haygarth, P. M.
    A study was undertaken on drained and undrained 1 ha grassland lysimeters to assess the effectiveness of multiple novel tracing techniques in understanding how agricultural slurry waste moves from land to water. Artificial fluorescent particles designed to mimic the size and density of organic slurry particles were found to move off the grassland via inter-flow (surface + lateral through-flow) and drain-flow. Where both pathways were present the drains carried the greater number of particles. The results of the natural fluorescence and delta C-13 of water samples were inconclusive. Natural fluorescence was higher from slurry-amended lysimeters than from zero-slurry lysimeters, however, a fluorescence decay experiment suggested that no slurry signal should be present given the time between slurry application and the onset of drainage. The delta C-13 values of >0.7 mm and <0.7 mm material in drainage were varied and unrelated to discharge. The mean value of >0.7 mm delta C-13 in water from the drain-flow pathways was higher from the lysimeter which had received naturally enriched maize slurry compared to the lysimeter which received grass slurry indicating a contribution of slurry-derived material. Values of <0.7 mm delta C-13 from the same pathway, however, produced counter intuitive trends and may indicate that different fractions of the slurry have different delta C-13 values.
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    Editorial: A profile of 70 years of soil research
    (Wiley, 2018-01-18) Otten, Wilfred; Haygarth, P. M.; Baggs, E. M.
    As current and recent presidents it has been a privilege and a pleasure on behalf of the British Society of Soil Science to assemble articles for the special anniversary issue of the European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS) and Soil Use and Management (SUM). The papers assembled reflect the spectrum of contemporary issues in soil science, which also serve as a reminder of how our soil science has changed over the years, letting us peer into the past and reflect on 70 years of the Society. In addition to being a celebration of soil science, this is also an opportunity to celebrate and reflect upon the British Society of Soil Science itself and its two journals.
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    High temporal resolution monitoring of multiple pollutant responses in drainage from an intensively managed grassland catchment caused by a summer storm
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2010-01-31T00:00:00Z) Granger, S. J.; Hawkins, J. M. B.; Bol, R.; White, S. M.; Naden, P. S.; Old, G. H.; Bilotta, G. S.; Brazier, R. E.; Macleod, C. J. A.; Haygarth, P. M.
    This work presents data on a suite of diffuse pollutants, monitored in a stream draining an intensively managed grassland on a 30 min time step during a period of intense rainfall to better understand their sources and pathways. Nitrite (92 mu g l(-1)), particulate phosphorus (107 mu g l(-1)) and soluble phosphorus (74 mu g l(-1)) exceeded environmental limits during base flow. Concentrations of nitrate and nitrite were decreased during the storm event, whereas all other pollutants generally increased and exceeded environmental limits where specified, especially when associated with a small subsidiary hydrograph on the rising limb of the main hydrograph. Total pollutants loads, when using a 60 min sampling frequency, would have led to significant over and under-estimations depending on which 60 min sample set was used. In the worst case, loads of ammonium could have been under-estimated by 35% or over estimated by 25% with errors being associated with loads on the rising limb of the hydrograph and more specifically a small subsidiary hydrograph. This subsidiary hydrograph may have occurred as a result of runoff from the farm hard standings within the catchment. Incidental transfer of pollutants associate with this runoff have masked the overall grassland pollutant response. To better understand these different source areas and pollutant dynamics, there is a need for novel tracing techniques to elucidate their relative contribution and pathways.
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    Water quality and UK agriculture: challenges and opportunities
    (Wiley: 12 months, 2017-02-14) Holden, J.; Haygarth, P. M.; Dunn, N.; Harris, Jim A.; Harris, R. C.; Humble, A.; Jenkins, A.; MacDonald, J.; McGonigle, D. F.; Meacham, T.; Orr, H. G.
    There are high aspirations for environmental water quality targets in the UK, but requirements for significant growth in agricultural production to meet both food security objectives and provide viable livelihoods for farmers make these hard to achieve. Significant water quality challenges are related to nutrients, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, pathogens, sediments and habitat alteration. To facilitate the challenges posed, there is a need for predictive, spatially distributed models to be developed that encompass the key aspects of agriculture and water management in order to inform future policy and organizations with an interest in land management. Additionally, there needs to be recognition from policy makers that different solutions are needed in different agri-water systems and that it often takes many years or decades for policies to have a sustained water quality impact. Long-term support for research infrastructure and the scientific skills base is required to enable measurement and data analysis necessary to inform decision making. Farmers need clearly articulated information on the issues and potential solutions on which to make informed management decisions regarding water. There are existing solutions to some problems and this knowledge needs to be effectively disseminated with appropriate incentives for implementation to have maximum impact. Greater collaboration between researchers, industry, and policy makers, with the necessary framework to deliver effective joint working, is urgently needed. There is also a need for a wider societal understanding of the land–water system and the various ways in which society pays (and might pay in the future) for the real value of water.