These accumulated phosphorus species are termed ‘legacy phosphorus’ which may leach back out into the water in a more biologically available and soluble form for decades, thereby impacting on surface and groundwater ecosystems,” he said. ![]() “A significant proportion of the phosphorus applied to crops may be washed off and accumulates in rivers, streams, lakes, and groundwaters largely in different particulate mineral and/or organic forms. “The majority of phosphorus applied to agricultural crops in the form of manure and artificial fertiliser is not utilised by the growing crop. ![]() The study’s goal, as explained by Trinity College’s Dr David O’Connell, principle investigator of the project named Eutro-SED, was to research the long-term storage and release of phosphorus in water systems.ĭavid says: “The topic was conceived and decided upon in 2016 by myself in collaboration with Professor Laurence Gill at TCD and Professor Yongfeng Hu who is a beamline scientist at the Canadian Light Source. The study involved collecting water and sediment samples from a number of waterways in Ireland and Sweden and using the CLS expertise to beam a light through them to determine the phosphorus content.Īrmed with this information, the scientists hope to highlight the detrimental effect excess phosphorus can have on waterways to farmers in a bid to encourage more efficient fertiliser spreading. Water samples were taken in Ireland and Sweden to assess the phosphorus levels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |