Research Projects

Pesticide Exposure and Effect Assessment Initiative

Figure 1: Overall structure and participant of the Pesticide Exposure and Effect Assessment Initiative, TERENO 2010.In 2010 the Pesticide Exposure and Effect Assessment Initiative was started in the Harz/Central German Lowland Observatory. The aim of this research initiative is to identify the contamination and ecological impacts in freshwaters caused by agricultural pesticides at the large spatial scale. That is a nontrivial scientific task due to complexity of the natural systems and typical current multi-stress environment.

The work is performed by a whole group of researchers from several departments of UFZ, University of Aachen, and University of Ilmenau (see figure 1, click opens a larer image) and coordinated by the Department of System Ecotoxicology, UFZ.

Sampling network includes twenty sample sites that were selected after GIS-modeling aimed at predicting the pesticide run-off (Fig. 2). The pesticide exposure is investigated using sophisticated sampling methods such as passive samplers and event-driven samplers. Ecological effects are identified using the trait-based indicator system SPEAR.

Figure 2: Sample sites in the TERENO, Harz Central Germany Lowland area