| Summary | Pollutants originating mostly from diffuse sources, like agriculture; representative substances are nitrogen and phosphorous |
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| Project | SESMAD |
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| Subtype | Pollutant |
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| Sector | Fresh Water Pollution |
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| Commons Boundaries | Clear boundaries (3) |
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| Explanation | Important portions of the river have been channeled and its water course is generally well defined |
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| Commons Unit Size | Microscopic (1) |
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| Explanation | |
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| Environmental Medium | Freshwater |
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| Explanation | Rhine's waters |
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| Residence Time | Multiple years (3) |
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| Explanation | This applies not only to water but also to the sediments of the Rhine riparian area |
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| Toxicity | High (3) |
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| Explanation | Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and they can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish and the death of large numbers of fish. Some algal blooms are harmful to humans because they produce elevated toxins and bacterial growth that can make people sick if they come into contact with polluted water, consume tainted fish or shellfish, or drink contaminated water.
Nutrient pollution in ground water - which millions of people in the United States use as their drinking water source - can be harmful, even at low levels. Infants are vulnerable to a nitrogen-based compound called nitrates in drinking water. |
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| Inter Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Pollution by the agricultural sector (main source of diffuse pollution) can be moderately predicted in the mid-term by the economic activity of the sector and the nation in general. |
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| Intra Annual Predictability | Moderate (2) |
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| Explanation | Pollution by the agricultural sector (main source of diffuse pollution) can be moderately predicted in the mid-term by the economic activity of the sector and the nation in general. |
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| Commons Renewability | Renewable (1) |
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| Explanation | The pollutants are natural chemical elements, which are potentially renewable |
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| Commons Accessibility | Very accessible (3) |
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| Explanation | The Rhine river is very accessible and thus also the heavy metals |
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| Commons Heterogeneity | Low (1) |
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| Explanation | The continuity of the Rhine's watercourse is not significantly or permanently fragmented by dams. |
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| Commons Mobility | High (3) |
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| Explanation | Although moderated by the existence of dams along the Rhine's course, water and thus the pollutants' mobility is high compared to human standards |
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| Commons Spatial Extent | 170000 |
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| Explanation | Size of the catchment area of the Rhine |
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| Point/Nonpoint | Nonpoint source |
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| Explanation | |
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| Technical Substitute | No |
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| Explanation | There is manure as a substitute of fertilizers but it is potentially as polluting as chemical fertilizers.
There are also agricultural practices that can substitute for the need to apply pesticides but only partially |
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