ANNUAL REPORT 2002
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Water resources |
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Greenland glacier water and ice for export
Over the last two years, GEUS has worked on surveying where ice of sufficient age and purity, to make it attractive on the international market for 'high profile' consumer ice and water, can be mined. On the basis of data from GEUS' glacier database, in 2000, an overview was prepared of the glaciers in southwest Greenland which were potentially suited to production, based on criteria about the characteristics of the ice surface, the stability of the ice front, and accessibility. In 2001, measurements were taken of the levels of impurities in the ice at selected locations. Ice from the period prior to the start of industrialisation and after the end of the last ice age, 12,000 years ago, is particularly attractive, as both the younger and older ice is generally more polluted. In 2002, further focus was given to suitable areas. Using dynamic ice calcu-lations, the four most favourable areas for ice extraction have been selected based on glaciological criteria and the stability of the ice front against changes, which could have an impact on extraction activities.The work has been funded by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, Greenland Home Rule. |
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Nitrate breakdown
The ability of the soil layers to break down nitrate, called nitrate reduction, has great significance for the interplay between land use and water quality.When nitrogen in the form of nitrate is washed out of the root zone, its fate will largely be determined by the factors which prevail deeper down in the soil. The breakdownof nitrate, by both microbial and abiotic processes, takes place in oxygen-free conditions. In the soil layers' unsaturated zone, where both air and water are found between the grains, the reduction of nitrate is limited to oxygen-free microenvironments which can arise wherever oxygen consumption exceeds oxygen supply – for example, as a result of microbiological activity in areas where easily-metabolised organic material is added. GEUS is in the process of investigating the capacity for the reduction of nitrate in unsaturated conditions, under a project for the Environmental Protection Agency. The work involves a review of relevant Danish and foreign studies, as well as field studies of the factors deemed significant for the breakdown of nitrate.The results will be incorporated into the general knowledge base regarding the nitrogen cycle under Danish conditions, which has significance for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the work on future aquatic environment plans. |
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The EU Water Framework Directive in focus
Throughout the year, GEUS has participated in a number of working groups appointed by the Ministry of the Environment in connection with the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.This participation relates to the drafting of a 'Daughter Directive on Groundwater' and a report for the Environmental Protection Agency to provide an overview of how groundwater affects surface water. The report, produced in cooperation with the National Environmental Research Institute, also identifies a number of areas where more knowledge is needed in order for Denmark to be able to implement the Water Framework Directive at the best possible professional level. Finally, GEUS has commenced three new research projects under the EU Fifth Framework Programme, which all deal with problem situations related to the Directive. The projects relate to the harmonisation of modelling tools and procedures for ensuring the quality of model calculations, and the development of methods to assess the uncertainty of data and models. In this connection, a network of representative catchment areas in Europe is going to be established, from which data will be made available for free use in other research projects. In cooperation with Funen County, Odense Å has been selected as one of the nine catchment areas in the European network. |
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Residents involved in groundwater protection
A new EU project (MERIT) with participation by GEUS and Københavns Energi (KE) is in the process of investigating how farmers, residents and other interested parties can be involved more effectively in the decisions necessary to protect Danish groundwater. The project is testing a decision tool, 'Bayesian networks', for the general management of water resources. This tool makes it possible, with one tool, to illuminate the significance of various factors in a conservation initiative, such as the water cycle, groundwater quality, natural values, macro-economics, and commercial aspects.The capture zone around St. Havelse Kildeplads north of Frederikssund has been chosen as a pilot area. It is one of the most intensively utilised groundwater reservoirs in Denmark. In November, GEUS and KE held a meeting with residents in order to get local input into the project. At the meeting, possible conflicts of interest were discussed, and suggestions for resolving these were presented, together with ideas for measures to protect the groundwater. A similar meeting was held with the local authorities, the county, and the local and regional interest organisations. – This method is meant to help us make good decisions, says Hans Jørgen Henriksen, leader of the project in GEUS. – These networks can shed light on the factors we should seek further information about, and they can localise disagreement and ease communication about decision situations, he adds. |
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Pesticides in small water supply systems
The drinking water in small, private water supply systems is polluted with pesticides and bacteria in many locations.This has been shown in an investigation by GEUS, conducted in cooperation with four counties – Viborg, Sønderjylland, Storstrøm, and Copenhagen. Pesticides and their decomposition products were found in more than half of the 600 systems investigated. The limit value for pesticides in drinking water was exceeded in one third of the systems, and in 10% of the bores/wells, the pesticide content exceeded the limit value for drinking water by more than 10 times. Many systems were also found which were in significant breach of the bacterial drinking water requirements, and which exceeded the limit value for nitrate and other inorganic substances.The combined proportion of systems which exceed one or more limit values for drinking water is 40–50%.The project is not yet complete, but there is broad agreement between the results in the four counties.The investigation is a sample-based investigation, and it suggests that more than 30% of the approx. 70–80,000 small private bores in Denmark fail to comply with the drinking water requirements for pesticides. Due to the magnitude of the problem, the Minister for the Environment has appointed two working groups to further quantify the scope of the problem. |
