How effective are River Basin Management Plans in reaching the nutrient load reduction targets?

Riverine nutrient loads are among the major causes of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. This study applied the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in three catchments flowing to the Baltic Sea, namely Vantaanjoki (Finland), Fyrisån (Sweden), and Słupia (Poland), to simulate the effectiveness of nutrient control measures included in the EU's Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs). Moreover, we identified similar, coastal, middle-sized catchments to which conclusions from this study could be applicable.

Nutrient loads from agricultural and forested areas in Finland from 1981 up to 2010-can the efficiency of undertaken water protection measures seen?

Long-term data from a network of intensively monitored research catchments in Finland was analysed. We studied temporal (1981-2010) and spatial variability in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), from 1987 losses, both from agricultural and forestry land. Based on trend analysis, total nitrogen (TN) concentrations increased in two of the four agricultural sites and in most of the forested sites.

Suspended solids and total phosphorus loads and their spatial differences in a lake-rich river basin as determined by automatic monitoring network.

Turbidity datasets recorded by sensors during 2009-2012 were collected in five observation sites in the 2046-km2 Karjaanjoki River Basin in southern Finland. From these and water sample-based data, total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) fluxes were determined. Based on calculations made with combined sensor- and water sample-based dataset, the annual loading from the Karjaanjoki Basin in 2009-2012 varied between 11,300 and 23,900[corrected] kg of TP and 3300-8400 t of TSS.

Wireless in-situ Sensor Network for Agriculture and Water Monitoring on a River Basin Scale in Southern Finland: Evaluation from a Data User's Perspective.

Sensor networks are increasingly being implemented for environmental monitoring and agriculture to provide spatially accurate and continuous environmental information and (near) real-time applications. These networks provide a large amount of data which poses challenges for ensuring data quality and extracting relevant information. In the present paper we describe a river basin scale wireless sensor network for agriculture and water monitoring.

Convective oxygen transport in a constructed wetland pond: mechanism, measurements and modelling by multilayer perceptrons.

The study presented here found evidence for the presence and importance of convective flows and associated oxygen transport in a constructed wetland pond in southern Finland. These flows are triggered by nightly cooling of the water at the surface, which may then become denser than the water lower down in the pond. The resulting layering (heavier water overlying less dense one) is hydromechanically unstable and--almost immediately--starts driving convective motion.

Function and potential of constructed wetlands for the control of N and P transport from agriculture and peat production in boreal climate.

The use of constructed wetlands (CWs) for the treatment of the runoff waters from field cultivation and peat production in boreal climate is reviewed on the base of the authors' own research experiences and a literature study. The main water purifying mechanisms are presented, and the effectiveness of different types of CWs as well as the design and dimensioning parameters at the bottom of the effectiveness are discussed. In our view, CW area in relation to its catchment and hydraulically efficient CW shape are the main issues that a CW designer should focus on.

Phosphorus removal in a wetland constructed on former arable land.

Phosphorus in surface runoff water may cause eutrophication of recipient water. This study clarifies the mechanisms of P removal in the wetland of Hovi, Finland, constructed on arable land in 1998. Before the construction, the surface soil (removed in the construction) and subsoil (the current wetland bottom) were analyzed for Al and Fe oxides (Al(ox) and Fe(ox)) reactive in P sorption, and for the distribution of P between various pools as well as for P exchange properties.