English 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.
