CL and ERA calculations of acidification loading at ecosystems

Comparative Analysis of CL and ERA Calculations of Acidification Loading at Ecosystems 

Within the defined areas, critical loads are calculated for all major combinations of tree species and soil types (receptors) in the case of terrestrial ecosystems, or water biota (including fish species) and water types in case of freshwater ecosystems. 

These combinations include the great variety of different ecosystems, the sensitivity of which to both acidification and eutrophication inputs by atmospheric pollutants differs greatly, determining the necessary reduction needs when CLs are exceeded by modern deposition levels. 

This information on ecosystem sensitivity can be compared with a pollutant deposition map, to determine, which areas currently receive deposition levels, which exceed the area s CL. The areas of exceedance indicate where present levels of pollutant deposition increase the risk of damage to ecosystems. 

At present, the calculation and mapping of critical loads for heavy metals is only at the beginning and in Europe there are only a few examples of application of methods described in Section 3.2. We will refer to case studies from Germany and Russia as the most characteristic research in this direction. The typical endpoints in these calculations refer to critical concentrations of different heavy metals in the ecosystems. The determination of the given critical concentrations is still uncertain and the relevant risk assessment calculated as an exceedance of critical loads should be based on selecting values of critical concentrations (see 3.2.2). 

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Comparative analysis of CL and ERA calculations of acidification loading at ecosystems... 

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