Latest news
Improved and Enhanced Version of SCAIL-Agriculture launched.
Simple Calculation of Ammonia Impact Limits (SCAIL) is a freely available online screening tool to estimate the effect of agricultural emissions on nearby protected areas (e.g. Sites of Special Scientific Interest) or human health.
The updated tool has been developed to evaluate the following emissions:
- Impact of NH3 emissions on protected sites;
- Impact of PM10 emissions on human health; and,
- Impact of odour emissions on nearby receptors.
The outputs from the tool will help the tool’s primary users (environmental regulators, planners, farmers, conservation bodies) make decisions on site development or permit application and the need for abatement measures or to identify whether further, more complex dispersion and deposition modelling is needed.
This project was commissioned by the UK environmental regulatory authorities and the Irish. Further information and the project report is available from Sniffer.
Report from the Nitrogen Deposition and the Nature Directives Workshop
JNCC have published the report of the “Nitrogen Deposition and the Nature Directives Workshop” held in December 2013 on behalf of the UK Government and Devolved Administrations.
The report provides an overview of the presentations and discussions concerning the two themes of the workshop:
Theme 1: Reporting and assessment of nitrogen deposition impacts; and
Theme 2: Knowledge sharing of practical solutions to reduce nitrogen deposition impacts
A series of accounts of the findings and recommendations of the workshop’s working groups is also provided in Appendices 1-7. The conclusions and recommendations from the workshop groups are also summarised.
The workshop background papers and presentations are available at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-5954.
JNCC Air Pollution Bulletin
JNCC has recently published a new edition this newsletter, which provides an update on the air pollution work it undertakes together with the country conservation bodies.
http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/Air_pollution_bulletin2_2014.pdf
Nitrogen Deposition and the Nature Directives Workshop – Impacts and Responses: Our Shared Experience.
In December 2013, JNCC hosted the “Nitrogen Deposition and the Nature Directives Workshop” on behalf of the UK Government and Devolved Administrations. This European workshop brought together leading experts from across the countries of the Atlantic Region, to share knowledge and experience of assessing the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen pollution and countries’ approaches or strategies to address those impacts.
The workshop background papers are available at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-5954. A report of the workshop will be published in spring 2014. It will record the conclusions and recommendations, including where follow up work is suggested, and a description of countries’ approaches to assessing and tackling impacts from nitrogen pollution.
New report published looking at the role of habitat management and nitrogen deposition in a changing climate
Review of the effectiveness of on-site habitat management to reduce atmospheric nitrogen deposition impacts on terrestrial habitats
A growing body of evidence has been accumulating in recent years to demonstrate the harmful effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on habitats of conservation importance. The report looks at the role of habitat management and how it may interact with nitrogen deposition in a changing climate. The report concluded that current management practices may already be partially offsetting some of the impacts of nitrogen deposition. However, further emission cuts will be required alongside appropriate habitat management to protect conservation interests. Recommendations are made on how the work could be developed and tested. The work was funded by all the UK statutory conservation bodies and can be found at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/ccwsciencereport1037.pdf