Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

On the scope and management of pesticide pollution of Swedish groundwater resources: The Scanian example

  • Report
  • Published:
AMBIO Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Twenty-three south-Swedish public supply wells were studied to assess pesticide pollution of regional groundwater resources. Relations between pesticide occurrence, hydrogeology, and land use were analyzed using Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Maps approach. Pesticides are demonstrated to be substantially present in regional groundwater, with detections in 18 wells. Concentrations above the drinking water threshold are confirmed for nine wells. Observations indicate considerable urban influence, and lagged effects of past, less restricted use. Modern, oxic waters from shallow, unconfined, unconsolidated or fracture-type bedrock aquifers appear particularly vulnerable. Least affected waters appear primarily associated with deeper wells, anoxic conditions, and more confined sediment aquifers lacking urban influence. Comprehensive, standardized monitoring of pesticides in groundwater need to be implemented nationwide to enable sound assessments of pollution status and trends, and to develop sound groundwater management plans in accordance with the Water Framework Directive. Further, existing water protection areas and associated regulations need to be reassessed.

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

References

  • Aeschbach-Hertig, W., P. Schlosser, M. Stute, H.J. Simpson, A. Ludin, and J.F. Clark. 1998. A 3H/3He study of ground water flow in a fractured bedrock aquifer. Ground Water 36(4): 661–670.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Åkesson, M., D. Bendz, C. Carlsson, C.J. Sparrenbom, and J. Kreuger. 2013. Modelling pesticide transport in a shallow groundwater catchment using tritium and helium-3 data. Applied Geochemistry. doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.01.007.

  • Barbash, J.E., and E.A. Resek. 1996. Pesticides in ground water: Distribution, trends and governing factors. Michigan: Ann Arbor Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baresel, C., and G. Destouni. 2009. Diffuse subsurface zinc loads from mining areas in the Dalälven River Basin, Sweden. Hydrology Research 40(5): 445–453.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brüsch, W. 2007. Public waterwork control of pesticides and metabolites. Copenhagen: GEUS, Arbejdsrapport fra Miljøstyrelsen Nr. 26. (in Danish).

    Google Scholar 

  • Clausen, L., N.P. Arildskov, F. Larsen, J. Aamand, and H.-J. Albrechtsen. 2007. Degradation of the herbicide dichlobenil and its metabolite BAM in soils and subsurface sediments. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 89(3–4): 157–173.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Close, M.E., and A. Skinner. 2012. Sixth national survey of pesticides in groundwater in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 46(4): 443–457.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Destouni, G.F., F. Hannerz, C. Prieto, J. Jarsjö, and Y. Shibuo. 2008. Small unmonitored near-coastal catchment areas yielding large mass loading to the sea. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 22: GB4003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Destouni, G., K. Persson, C. Prieto, and J. Jarsjö. 2010. General quantification of catchment-scale nutrient and pollutant transport through the subsurface to surface and coastal waters. Environmental Science and Technology 44: 2048–2055.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. 2012. Third implementation report on the River Basin management plans—Country-specific assessments, Sweden (SE). European Commission, Report SWD(2012)379, Brussels.

  • European Environment Agency. 2004. Pesticides in groundwater. European Environment Agency, Indicator fact sheet WHS1a, Copenhagen.

  • European Union. 2000. Council directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy. Official Journal of European Communities L327: 1–73.

  • European Union. 2006. Council directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration. Official Journal of the European Union L372: 19–31.

  • Fraser, S.J., and B.L. Dickson. 2007. A New Method for Data Integration and Integrated Data Interpretation: Self-Organising Maps. In Proceedings of Exploration 07: Fifth international conference on mineral exploration, ed. B. Milkereit, 907–910.

  • Freeze, R.A., and J.A. Cherry. 1979. Groundwater. Englewoord Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedel, M.J., O.A. de Souza Filho, F. Iwashita, A.M. Silva, and S. Yoshinaga. 2012. Data-driven modeling for groundwater exploration in fractured crystalline terrain, northeast Brazil. Hydrogeology Journal 20(6): 1061–1080.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilliom, R.J. 2007. Pesticides in U.S. streams and groundwater. Environmental Science and Technology 41(10): 3408–3414.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson, O. 2005. Description to the map of groundwater in Skåne. The Geological Survey of Sweden, Ah 15, Uppsala (in Swedish).

  • Haarstad, K., and G.H. Ludvigsen. 2007. Ten years of pesticide monitoring in Norwegian ground water. Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation 27(3): 75–89.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jansson, C., and J. Kreuger. 2010. Multiresidue analysis of 95 pesticides at low nanogram/liter levels in surface waters using online preconcentration and high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of AOAC International 93(6): 1732–1747.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis, N.J. 2007. A review of non-equilibrium water flow and solute transport in soil macropores: Principles, controlling factors and consequences for water quality. European Journal of Soil Science 58(3): 523–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen, L.F., and J. Stockmarr. 2009. Groundwater monitoring in Denmark: Characteristics, perspectives and comparison with other countries. Hydrogeology Journal 17: 827–842.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen, P.R., L.D. McKay, and N.H. Spliid. 1998. Evaluation of chloride and pesticide transport in a fractured clayey till using large undisturbed columns and numerical modelling. Water Resources Research 34(4): 539–553.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalteh, A.M., P. Hjort, and R. Berndtsson. 2008. Review of the self-organizing map (SOM) approach in water resources: Analysis, modelling and application. Environmental Modelling and Software 23(7): 835–845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohonen, T. 2001. Self-Organizing Maps. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kolpin, D.W., D.A. Goolsby, and E.M. Thurman. 1995. Pesticides in near-surface aquifers: An assessment using highly sensitive analytical methods and tritium. Journal of Environmental Quality 24: 1125–1132.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kolpin, D.W., J.E. Barbash, and R.J. Gilliom. 1998. Occurrence of pesticides in shallow groundwater of the United States: Initial results from the national water-quality assessment program. Environmental Science and Technology 32: 558–566.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malaguerra, F., H.-J. Albrechtsen, L. Thorling, and P.J. Binning. 2012. Pesticides in water supply wells in Zealand, Denmark: A statistical analysis. Science of the Total Environment 414: 433–444.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maxe, L., M. Gustafsson, and J. Kreuger. 2003. Pesticides in Scanian groundwater—Strategy for monitoring and environmental objective follow-up. County Administrative Board of Skåne, Report 2003:68, Malmö, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • Morvan, X., C. Mouvet, N. Baran, and A. Gutierrez. 2006. Pesticides in the groundwater of a spring draining a sandy aquifer: Temporal variability of concentration and fluxes. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 87(3–4): 176–190.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neil, C.D., J.S. Williams, and T.K. Weddle. 1989. Report to the 114th Maine State Legislature Energy and Natural Resources Committee: Pilot pesticides in ground water study, final report. Maine Geological Survey, Open-File Report 89-2, Augusta.

  • Newman, B.D., K. Osenbrück, W. Aeschbach-Hertig, D.K. Solomon, P. Cook, K. Rozanski, and R. Kipfer. 2010. Dating of ‘young’ groundwaters using environmental tracers: advantages, applications, and research needs. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies 43(3): 259–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nishiyama, K., S. Endo, K. Jinno, C. Bertacchi Uvo, J. Olsson, and R. Berndtsson. 2007. Identification of typical synoptic patterns causing heavy rainfall in the rainy season in Japan by a self-ogranizing map. Atmospheric Research 83: 185–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordberg, L., and G. Persson. 1974. The national groundwater network of Sweden. The Geological Survey of Sweden, Ca 48, Uppsala, Sweden.

  • Sandberg, E. 2011. Plant protection products in agriculture and horticulture 2010. Statistics Sweden, MI 31 SM 1101. Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • SCB. 2010. Land use in Sweden 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://www.scb.se/.

  • Schipper, P.N.M., M.J.M. Vissers, and A.M.A. van der Linden. 2008. Pesticides in groundwater and drinking water wells; overview of the situation in the Netherlands. Water Science and Technology 57(8): 1277–1286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SEPA. 2013. The national environmental objectives—Yearly follow-up of Sweden’s environmental quality objectives and milestone targets 2013. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Report 6557, Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • SGU. 2013:1. The Geological Survey of Sweden’s regulations on monitoring and assessment of groundwater. The Geological Survey of Sweden, Uppsala, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • SGU. 2013a. Environmental monitoring of groundwater. Geological Survey of Sweden, Uppsala, Sweden. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://www.sgu.se/sgu/sv/samhalle/miljo/miljoovervakning/overvakning-grundvatten.html.

  • SGU. 2013b. Environmental quality criteria for groundwater. Geological Survey of Sweden, Report 2013:01, Uppsala, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • SLVFS 2001:30. The Swedish National Food Agency’s regulations on drinking water. Swedish National Food Agency, Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • SMHI. 2014. The climate of Skåne. Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://www.smhi.se/kunskapsbanken/meteorologi/skanes-klimat-1.4827.

  • Solomon, D.K., and P.G. Cook. 2000. 3H and 3He. In Environmental tracers in subsurface hydrology, ed. P.G. Cook, and A.L. Herczeg, 397–424.

  • Sültenfuss, J., W. Roether, and M. Rhein. 2009. The Bremen mass spectrometric facility for the measurement of helium isotopes, neon, and tritium in water. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies 45: 83–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tappe, W., J. Groeneweg, and B. Jantsch. 2002. Diffuse atrazine pollution in German aquifers. Biodegradation 13: 3–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tesoriero, A.J., D.A. Saad, K.R. Burow, E.A. Frick, L.J. Puckett, and J.E. Barbash. 2007. Linking ground-water age and chemistry and chemistry data along flow paths: Implications for trends and transformations of nitrate and pesticides. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 94: 139–155.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thorling, L., B. Hansen, C. Langtofte, W. Brüsch, R.R. Møller, and S. Mielby. 2012. Groundwater—Status and development 1989–2011. GEUS, Teknisk rapport, Copenhagen (in Danish, English summary).

  • Ultsch, A., and H.P Siemon. 1990. Kohonen’s self organizing feature maps for exploratory data analysis. In Proceedings of INNC-90, international neural network conference, ed. B. Widrow, and B. Angeniol, 305–308.

  • Ultsch, A. 2004. U*-matrix: A tool to visualize clusters in high dimensional data. Philipps-Universität, Technical Report 36, Marburg.

  • Virgin, H. 2012. Groundwater quality in Skåne Län—Assessment of regional monitoring 2007–2010. County Administrative Board of Skåne, Report 2012:12, Malmö, Sweden (in Swedish).

  • Wastenson, L., T. Germundsson, and P. Schlyter (Eds.). 1999. National Atlas of Sweden: Atlas of Skåne. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell.

  • World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP). 2009. Water in a changing world. Third United Nations World Water Development Report, Paris.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by Region Skåne, Länsstyrelsen Skåne, the Geological Survey of Sweden and participating municipalities and water organizations. The authors wish to thank H. Virgin for assistance in data collection, J. Sültenfuss for groundwater age discussions, C. Bertacchi-Uvo and K. Nishiyama for initial SOM guidance, and finally two anonymous reviewers and the handling editor G. Destouni for valuable feedback on the original manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Maria Åkesson & Charlotte J. Sparrenbom

  2. Geological Survey of Sweden, Kiliansgatan 10, 223 50, Lund, Sweden

    Peter Dahlqvist

  3. CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering, PO Box 883, Kenmore, QLD, 4069, Australia

    Stephen J. Fraser

Authors
  1. Maria Åkesson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charlotte J. Sparrenbom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter Dahlqvist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stephen J. Fraser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Åkesson.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PAF 174 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Åkesson, M., Sparrenbom, C.J., Dahlqvist, P. et al. On the scope and management of pesticide pollution of Swedish groundwater resources: The Scanian example. AMBIO 44, 226–238 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0548-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0548-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation