Abstract

ESQUAD, a joint project involving several research institutes in the Netherlands calculates the impact of atmospheric deposition of three heavy metals and two organic compounds on the quality of soil and seawater in Europe. The general approach is based on methods and concepts developed in acidification abatement policy, especially the critical load concept. Based on a detailed emission database for Europe, atmospheric transport and deposition calculations have been carried out using the RIVM EUTREND model. Using a detailed database of soil property parameters in Europe, the distribution of concentrations in soil and groundwater have been calculated for each grid cell. For soils the study focused on forests, where atmospheric deposition is the only source of pollution. For the North Sea a detailed model was used to map all contributions to the long-term concentrations in water and sediment. The calculated deposition and concentration distributions have been compared with environmental quality target values.