A GIS-based screening model for assessing agricultural pressures and impacts on water quality on a European scale
Giupponi, C. , Vladimirova, I. Ag-PIE: A GIS-based screening model for assessing agricultural pressures and impacts on water quality on a European scale Science of the Total Environment Volume 359, Issue 1-3, 15 April 2006, Pages 57-75
Giupponi, C. , Vladimirova, I. Ag-PIE: A GIS-based screening model
for assessing agricultural pressures and impacts on water quality
on a European scale Science of the Total Environment Volume 359,
Issue 1-3, 15 April 2006, Pages 57-75
Abstract - Diffuse pollution of water resources from agricultural
sources is a major environmental issue in the European Union, and
has been dealt with by specific legislation: the Nitrate Directive
of 1991 and the Water Framework Directive of 2000. These attempts
to provide a coordinated approach to solving environmental problems
require methods and tools for spatial analysis and modelling on a
continental scale, with river basins being used as spatial units.
This paper presents a screening model (Ag-PIE), developed in a GIS
environment, for the assessment of pressures from agricultural land
use and the consequent impacts on surface and groundwater. Ag-PIE
has been applied at the European scale (EU15), with focus on
nitrogen pollution from chemical fertilisers and manure. The model
adopts a multi-criteria evaluation procedure applied to spatial
data layers which represent the variety of factors affecting the
pollution process. The DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, State,
Impact, Responses) approach is applied to provide the modelling
approach with a conceptual framework and to further analyse and
communicate results. Ag-PIE is ultimately aimed at providing a tool
making use of state-of-the-art geographical databases to support
policy-makers at the European level. The scale of reference adopted
is the river basin, in particular those that extend across national
boundaries. The quality of the results obtained has been assessed
against existing related studies and monitoring reports and by
means of sensitivity analysis. Conclusions are driven by
considering the potential of Ag-PIE in devising policy support and
its strengths and weaknesses in view of identifying future research
needs.
