Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of impacts of human activities and climate change on water quantity and quality in Finnish agricultural catchments

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Landscape Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Context

We studied the influence of human activities and climate change on water quantity and quality. Human activities included methods of agricultural policy, i.e. land use and management practices.

Objectives

Finland started to follow EU’s agricultural policy in 1995. In this study our main objective was to find out whether the original targets of the Finnish Agri-Environmental Programme (FAEP) were achieved.

Methods

We analyzed trends in discharge, water quality and climate parameters in 37 years long time-series in two catchments. We focused on the suspended sediment and phosphorus concentrations and loads, the main interests to FAEP.

Results

We found an increasing trend in mean annual temperature, especially in spring and late summer-early autumn. There was no statistical significant change in annual runoff. Increasing winter runoff in the other catchment could be explained by the increased number of days when temperature was above zero degrees making snowmelt possible. In this area high potential sediment delivery occurred in early winter. FAEP succeeded in decreasing the suspended sediment load by reduced tillage and wintertime vegetation cover. In controlling the phosphorus loads FAEP succeeded only in the catchment with erosion sensitive soils. In the catchment where soils were less sensitive for erosion increase in the dissolved reactive phosphorus load exceeded the benefits of the reduced particulate phosphorus load.

Conclusions

Climate change may increase the suspended sediment load by increasing winter runoff. Even then, instead of decreasing the suspended sediment loads FAEP should rather focus on dissolved nutrients as they cause eutrophication in receiving waters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aakkula J, Kuussaari M, Rankinen K, Ekholm P, Heliölä J, Hyvönen T, Kitti T, Salo T (2012) Follow-Up Study On The Impacts Of Agri-Environmental Measures In Finland. In: OECD (ed), Evaluation of Agri-Environmental Policies Selected Methodological Issues and Case Studies. OECD publishing, pp111–127

  • Aura E, Saarela K, Räty M (2006) Savimaiden eroosio. MTT:n selvityksiä 118, p32

  • Bengtsson L, Seuna P, Lepistö A, Saxena RK (1992) Particle movement of melt water in a subdrained agricultural basin. J Hydrol 135:383–398

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daloğlu I, Cho KH, Scavia D (2012) Evaluating causes of trends in long-term dissolved reactive phosphorus loads to lake erie. Environ Sci Technol 46:10660–10666

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekholm P (1994) Bioavailability of phosphorus in agriculturally loaded rivers in southern finland. Hydrobiologia 287(2):179–194

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch RM, Moyer DL, Archfield SA (2010) Weighted regressions on time, discharge, and season (WRTDS), with an application to Chesapeake Bay river inputs. J Am Water Resour Assoc 46(5):859–880

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jetten V, de Roo A, Favis-Mortlock D (1999) Evaluation of field scale and catchment scale soil erosion models. Catena 37:521–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jetten V, Govers G, Hessel R (2003) Erosion models: quality of spatial predictions. Hydrol Process 17:887–900

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jylhä K, Ruosteenoja K, Räisänen J, Venäläinen A, Tuomenvirta H, Ruokolainen L, Saku S, Seitola T (2009) Arvioita Suomen muuttuvasta ilmastosta sopeutumistutkimuksia varten. In: Ilmatieteen laitos (ed) ACCLIM-hankkeen raportti 2009. Raportteja 2009:4, p114

  • Korhonen J, Haavanlammi E (2012) Hydrologinen vuosikirja 2006–2012. Suomen ympäristö 8/2012

  • Libiseller C, Grimvall A (2002) Performance of partial Mann–Kendall tests for trend detection in the precence of covariates. Environmetrics 13:71–84

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lilja H, Uusitalo R, Yli-Halla M, Nevalainen R, Väänänen T, Tamminen P (2006) Suomen maannostietokanta. Maannoskartta 1:250 000 ja maaperän ominaisuuksia. MTT:n selvityksiä 114

  • Mattila P, Rankinen K, Grönroos J, Siimes K, Karhu E, Laitinen P, Granlund K, Ekholm P, Antikainen R (2007) Viljelytoimenpiteet ja vesistökuormitus ympäristötukitiloilla vuosina 2003–2005. Suomen ympäristö 40

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (2012) How to provide for the inevitable climate change. Summary of the Finnish adaption study on different fields of operation. Publications of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 6/2011

  • Ministry of the Environment (2005) Itämeren ja sisäverien suojelun tavoiteohjelma. Suomen ympäristö 771

  • MSFD (2008) Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive). Official Journal of the European Union L 164/19

  • Muukkonen P, Hartikainen H, Lahti K, Särkelä A, Puustinen M, Alakukku L (2007) Influence of no-tillage on the distribution and lability of phosphorus in Finnish clay soils. Agric Ecosyst Environ 120:299–306

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niemi J, Heinonen P, Mitikka S, Vuoristo H, Pietiläinen O-P, Puupponen M, Rönkä, E (eds) (2001) The Finnish Eurowaternet with information about Finnish water resources and monitoring strategies. Vol. 445. Finnish Environment, pp 62

  • Palva R, Rankinen K, Granlund K, Grönroos J, Nikander A, Rekolainen S (2001) Maatalouden ympäristötuen toimenpiteiden toteutuminen ja vaikutukset vesistökuormitukseen vuosina 1995–1999. MYTVAS-projektin loppuraportti. Suomen ympäristö 478

  • Peltonen-Sainio P, Jauhiainen L, Hyövelä M, Nissilä E (2009) Trade-off between oil and protein in rapeseed at high latitudes: means to consolidate protein crop status? Field Crop Res 121(2):248–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pietiläinen O-P, Ekholm P (1992) Origin of eroded material in a small agricultural drainage basin in southwestern Finland. Aqua Fenn 22:105–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Pietiläinen O-P, Räike A (1999) Typpi ja fosfori Suomen sisävesien minimiravinteena. Suomen ympäristö 313

  • Pietiläinen O-P, Rekolainen S (1991) Dissolved reactive and total phosphorus load from agricultural and forested basins to surface waters in Finland. Aqua Fenn 21:127–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Puustinen M, Koskiaho J, Peltonen K (2005) Influence of cultivation methods on suspended solids and phosphorus concentrations in surface runoff on clayey sloped fields in boreal climate. Agric Ecosyst Environ 105(4):565–579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Puustinen M, Tattari S, Koskiaho J, Linjama J (2007) Influence of seasonal and annual hydrological variations on erosion and phosphorus transport from arable areas in Finland. Soil Tillage Res 93:44–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Räsänen A (2010) Kiintoaineen ja kasviravinteiden vesistökuormituksen riskialuekartoitus Aurajoen valuma-alueella. Master’s Thesis, University of Jyväskylä

  • Rekolainen S (1989) Effect of snow and soil frost melting on the concentrations of suspended solids and phosphorus in two rural watersheds in western Finland. Aquat Sci 51(3):211–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renard KG, Foster GR, Yoder DC, McCool DK (1994) RUSLE revisited: Status, questions, answers, and the future. J Soil Water Conserv 49:213–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Reutter JM, Ciborowski J, Depinto JV, Bade D, Baker DB, Bridgeman TB, Culver DA, Davis S, Dayton E, Kane D, Mullen RW, Pennuto CM (2011) Lake Erie nutrient loading and harmful algal blooms: research findings and management imlications. Final report of the Lake Erie millenium networl synthesis team, OHSU-TS-060, The Ohio State University

  • Richards RP, Baker DB, Crumrine JP (2009) Improved water quality in Ohio tributaries to Lake Erie: a consequence of conservation practices. J Soil Water Conserv 64(3):200–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruosteenoja K, Jylhä K (2007) Temperature and precipitation projections for Finland based on climate models employed in the IPCC 4th assessment report. Third international conference on climate and water, Helsinki, Finland, 3–6 September 2007, Proceedings, pp 404–406

  • Salmi T, Määttä A, Anttila P, Ruoho-Airola T, Amnell T (2002) Detecting trends of annual values of atmospheric pollutants by the Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimates—the excel template application MAKESENS. Publications on air quality No 31

  • Sharpley AN, Rekolainen S (1997) Phosphorus in agriculture and its environmental implications. In: Tunney H, Carton OT, Brookes PC, Johnston AE (eds) Phosphorus loss from soil to water. CAB International Press, Cambridge, pp 1–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamminen T, Andersen T (2007) Seasonal phytoplankton nutrient limitation patterns as revealed by bioassays over Baltic Sea gradients of salinity and eutrophication. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 340:121–138

  • Tiainen J, Kuussaari M, Laurila IP, Toivonen T (2004) Elämää pellossa. Suomen maatalousympäristön monimuotoisuus. Edita, Helsinki

    Google Scholar 

  • Tike (2009) Yearbook of farm statistics. Agriculture, forestry and fishery 2009

  • Tuomenvirta H (2004) Reliable estimation of climatic variations in Finland. Finnish Meteorological Institute Contributions No 43

  • Ulén B, Aronsson H, Bechmann M, Krogstad T, Øygarden L, Stenberg M (2010) Soil tillage methods to control phosphorus loss and potential side-effects: a Scandinavian review. Soil Use Manag 26:94–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uusi-Kämppä J, Jauhiainen L (2010) Long-term monitoring of buffer zone efficiency under different cultivation techniques in boreal conditions. Agric Ecosyst Environ 137:75–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valpasvuo-Jaatinen P, Rekolainen S, Latostenmaa H (1997) Finnish agriculture and its sustainability: environmental impacts. Ambio 26(7):448–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Veijalainen N, Lotsari E, Alho P, Vehviläinen B, Käyhkö J (2010) National scale assessment of climate change impacts on flooding in Finland. J Hydrol 391:333–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WFD (2000) Water framework directive. Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and the council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy. Off J Eur Community L 327:1–7

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank CLIMES project (the Cooperation Program of the Academy of Finland (No. 256231) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. GJHZ1215)) and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland for financing this study. Further, we would like to thank Dr. Petri Ekholm for commenting the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Environment Institute, P.O.Box 140, 00251, Helsinki, Finland

    K. Rankinen, K. Granlund, J. Grönroos & L. Vesikko

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    G. Gao

Authors
  1. K. Rankinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. Granlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Grönroos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L. Vesikko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Rankinen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rankinen, K., Gao, G., Granlund, K. et al. Comparison of impacts of human activities and climate change on water quantity and quality in Finnish agricultural catchments. Landscape Ecol 30, 415–428 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-0149-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-0149-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation