Title

Website description and/or address

Air Pollution Information System

APIS is a comprehensive source of information on air pollution and the effects on habitats and species. It has been until 2004 developed in partnership by the UK conservation agencies and regulatory agencies and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It can be interrogated by pollutant, habitat or impact.

(http://www.apis.ac.uk/index.html)

CL:AIRE

A public/private partnership concerning contaminated land, involving stakeholders from government policy makers, regulators, industry, research organisations and technology developers. It facilitates the development of cost-effective methods of investigating and remediating contaminated land in a sustainable way.

(http://www.claire.co.uk)

Co-ordinated ammonia research activities

Gateway into a series of projects and networks looking at ammonia releases, mitigation and impact (last updated April 2003).

(http://www.cara.ceh.ac.uk)

Contaminated land

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) website giving a broad introduction to contaminated land and impact of water environment.

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/contaminated-land/introduction/1.htm)

DIFFUSED POLLUTION CONTROL

List of websites dealing with aspects of diffuse pollution.

(http://dorset.ceh.ac.uk/River_Ecology/River_Systems/Diffuse_pollution.htm)

Diffuse Pollution Initiative

The main aim of Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) National Diffuse Pollution Initiative, which began in September 2001, is to develop a strategy for dealing with diffuse water pollution through characterising the diffuse pollution problem in Scotland, quantifying diffuse pollution as a Water Framework Directive pressure and developing a diffuse pollution monitoring strategy for SEPA. The website contains a wide range of information including examples of local projects being undertaken (see under campaign work) to reduce the release of pollution from diffuse sources.

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/dpi/initiative/index.htm)

Defra
Facts and Figures
– Fertiliser Use

(http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/indicators/d401_data.htm )

Environment Agency website on contaminated land

A range of reports, guidance documentation, fact sheets and web links.

(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/landquality/113813/?versi)

Environment sensitive farming

Provides practical advice for land managers on diffuse pollution issues and details of conferences, workshops and discussion groups for farmers, advisers and contractors.

(http://www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk/)

European Groundwater and Contaminated Land Information System

EUGRIS is an information portal which provides research project information, technical information and information from the European Union and its Member States.

(http://www.eugris.info/)

Eutrophication

The Environmental Change Network is the UK’s long-term environmental monitoring programme established in 1992. It is designed to collect, store, analyse and interpret long-term data based on a set of key physical, chemical and biological variables which drive and respond to environmental change at a range of terrestrial and freshwater sites across the UK.

The site contains time series data on nutrient levels in rivers and lakes.

(http://www.ecn.ac.uk/freshwater2/pressures.htm)

MEutrophication in marine environments

Brief outline on the effects of high nutrient status on coastal waters

(http://www.lifesciences.napier.ac.uk/teaching/MB/Eutroph03.html)

FARMING AND COUNTRYSIDE EDUCATION (FACE)

FACE is a charity with 50 member organisations, all of whom have a commitment to educational work associated with food, farming and the countryside.

The FACE website (http://www.face-online.org.uk/) is a useful portal to sources of information about farming and the countryside.

UK Agriculture (http://www.ukagriculture.com) also promotes understanding of farming, the UK countryside and good practice.

Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)

FWAG exists to provide farmers, landowners and its other clients with the best opportunity for environmental gain through cost-effective, quality solutions. It has 66 local groups throughout England, Scotland and Wales, and more than 110 Farm Conservation Advisers to provide farmers and landowners with practical advice on making adjustments to farm operations and enhancing farm features in order to support wildlife, landscape, archaeology, access and other conservation issues.

FWAG Advice is based on:

• a whole farm approach since all parts of the farm are important for conservation
• tailor-made conservation plans designed to suit the farm type, location and the farmer’s aspirations, commitment and budget
• a partnership with the farmer, conservation bodies, farming organisations and government agencies
• zero/low-cost management options where possible (conservation need not be costly)
• identification of appropriate grant sources
• the understanding that conservation need not compromise the farm’s commercial objectives

(http://www.fwag.org.uk)

Farm waste management in Northern Ireland

Website presented by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland with information on farm waste management, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, agri-environment schemes and similar.

(http://www.ruralni.gov.uk/environment/countryside/farm_waste_management/index.htm)

Fish farming

This is chapter 6 of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report on the Environmental Effects of Marine Fisheries. It considers what the environmental impacts of aquaculture are and how can they be minimised It also assesses whether an expansion in fish farming to compensate for a reduction in fish caught at sea is environmentally desirable.

(http://www.rcep.org.uk/fisheries/Chapter6.pdf)

Global Nitrogen Enrichment (GANE)

This is a Natural Environment Research Council Research programme designed to tackle some of the key questions concerning the transformation and pathways of reactive nitrogen, the major problem of quantifying nitrogen fluxes and impacts on N-sensitive semi-natural ecosystems, coastal waters and the atmosphere. The following two websites do not themselves contain much directly useful information but list a huge range of projects that have been supported and the individuals and organisations involved in this type of work. Hence, they could form the basis of a wider search into the topic areas.

(http://www.ncl.ac.uk/gane/)

(http://gane.ceh.ac.uk/default.jsp)

Good ecological status in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus

A report on a study to determine the likely scale of changes to agriculture that would be required to achieve good ecological status.

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/quality/diffuse/agri/pdf/landuse-ges.pdf)

Industrial and urban pollution of groundwater

Contamination from industrial activities, mining and landfills and possible remediation methods are outlined in a pdf document at the Groundwater Forum website:

(http://www.groundwateruk.org/archive/industrial_and_urban_pollution_of_groundwater.pdf)

Guidance specifying management measures for non-point sources of pollution

US EPA websites detailing measures to reduce pollution from agriculture and non-point sources in general, and dealing with the particular problem of non-point sources and coastal waters.

Agriculture:  (http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/agmm/index.html)

Non-point sources in general:  (http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/)

Coastal waters:  (http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/MMGI)

INTUTE - Health & Life Sciences

Free online service providing access to web resources in agriculture, food and forestry for education and research, evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists.

(http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/agriculture/)

Inland water quality and use

Statistics on water quality and resources for the UK

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/inlwater/index.htm)

Integrated Farm Management

Integrated Farm Management is a whole farm system providing efficient management by integrating beneficial natural processes into modern farming techniques and ensures that high standards of stewardship and environmental care are practised.

Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) was set up in 1991 by farmers, environmentalists, food and agricultural organisations, consumers, government and academics to do something positive for the farming industry and the environment. The LEAF audit is a key decision support tool. There are LEAF demonstration farms throughout the country where you can see IFM in practice.

(http://www.leafuk.org/leaf/)

Landfill sites facts and figures from the Environment Agency

(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/eff/1190084/resources_waste/213982/1863182/?version=1&lang=_e)

Lowland Catchment Research (LOCAR)

This is a Natural Environment Research Council Research programme which is undertaking detailed, interdisciplinary, integrated hydro-environmental research relating to the storage-discharge cycle and groundwater-dominated aquatic habitats in three flagship catchments: the Frome/Piddle in Dorset, the Pang/Lambourn in Berkshire, and the Tern in Shropshire. Hydrological monitoring networks, building on existing Environment Agency instrumentation, are being established, together with instrumentation to monitor the surface and atmospheric water and ecology of each catchment. It is a five-year project, the field programme of which will run from April 2002 until early 2006. The website has good contacts but not many report outputs.

(http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/locar/)

Minimising water pollution from agriculture

Defra farming website which contains information on how pollution from agriculture occurs, advice on how to manage animal wastes and farm nutrient planning.

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/water/index.htm)

Minimising Phosphorus losses from agriculture

This website is run by the Southern Extension-Research Activity (SERA-17), a network of universities, research organisations and agriculturalists in the USA. It contains some useful publications and information.

(http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/sera17/index.htm)

National Ammonia Monitoring Network

A network of 95 sites has been established to monitor atmospheric ammonia and ammonium content across the UK. This helps to determine the effectiveness of policies to reduce ammonia emissions. (The website was last updated in 2003).

(http://www.cara.ceh.ac.uk/nh3network/index.html)

Nutrients in rivers

Environment Agency’s information on trends in the concentrations of phosphates and nitrates in England and Wales from 1990 to 2004.

(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/432430/432434/432487/438449/?version=1&lang=_e)

OAERRE project

OAERRE aims to understand the physical, biogeochemical and biological processes, and their interactions, involved in eutrophication in coastal marine Regions of Restricted Exchange (RREs), especially lagoons and fjords. The scientific issues addressed include the controls on horizontal and vertical exchange in RREs and the response of coastal ecosystems to nutrient enrichment. The project ran from July 2000 to June 2003.

(http://www.oaerre.napier.ac.uk/index.htm)

Phosphate recovery from animal wastes and wastewater

A site containing a wide range of information on phosphate use and environmental impact plus a network of research and industry organisations trying to develop economic methods for phosphate recovery from wastewater and animal wastes

(http://www.nhm.ac.uk/mineralogy/P-recovery/)

PHOSPHORUS PROGRAMME

Defra website detailing research activities on phosphorus losses from agriculture. Many useful links

(http://www.iger.bbsrc.ac.uk/defra_Phosphorus/index.html)

Reducing nitrate pollution from agriculture

Several Defra web pages giving details on actions to reduce agricultural nitrate pollution.

(http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/quality/nitrate/default.htm)

Scottish Agricultural Pollution Group

The Scottish Agricultural Pollution Group comprises representatives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Scottish Government Rural Affairs Department. The remit of the Group is to encourage sustainable farming practice consistent with conserving soil and minimising nutrient and pesticide loss, and to promote an improved understanding of diffuse agricultural pollution.

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/publications/leaflets/sapg/index.htm)

South West environment

Website looking at environmental issues in the south-west of England, but containing much useful background information to the issues discussed, including diffuse and point source pollution.

(http://www.swenvo.org.uk/environment/diffuse_pollution.asp)

(http://www.swenvo.org.uk/environment/index.asp)

Stormwater runoff

This website from the USA offers a range of best practice guidance documents on managing stormwater in urban and agricultural situations.

(http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/environment/water/SW-BMP.aspx?r=1)

Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS)

Environment Agency introduction to SUDS.

(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/444304/502508/464710/)

Sustainable Urban Drainage Network

UK-wide network for researchers, practitioners, agencies, developers and others interested in SUDS.

(http://sudsnet.abertay.ac.uk/index.html)

SUDS at CIRIA

Construction Industries Research and Information Association site providing best practice guidance, case studies of SUDS use and similar.

(http://www.ciria.org.uk/suds/)

Toxic cyanobacteria in water: A guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management

This World Health Organisation report examines the need to protect drinking water, recreational waters and other water supplies from contamination by the toxic blue-green algae, cyanobacteria and to control their impact on health. It discusses the nature of toxic cyanobacteria, their consequences for public health, and methods for the assessment, management, investigation and treatment of contaminated water supplies.

(http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resourcesquality/toxicyanbact/en/)

UKREATE

This project is funded by Defra and NERC. It looks at causes of eutrophication and acidification in terrestrial ecosystems by investigating the impacts of nitrogen deposition, caused by the air pollutants ammonia and nitrogen oxides, on semi-natural ecosystems. It aims to demonstrate the impacts of these air pollutants on sensitive habitats, and to develop models and tools to assist the policymaker in understanding what more needs to be done to reduce the adverse effects.

(http://www.bangor.ceh.ac.uk/terrestrial-umbrella/)

Water quality and river classification schemes in Scotland

River, estuarine and coastal classification schemes and data.

(http://www.sepa.org.uk/data/classification/index.htm)