Short description

Organic and inorganic substances enter surface waters via a variety of pathways. This results in risks to the aquatic environment and human health, which must be addressed through appropriate measures. In addition to substance-specific regulations, such as those defined in Directive 2008/105/EC, amended by Directive 2013/39/EU, for priority substances as environmental quality standards (EQS) to achieve good chemical status in surface waters, this requires quantitative knowledge of the sources and pathways of substance inputs. In order to be able to make statements about the risks of these substance inputs, it is also necessary to consider processes within the water body.

The work carried out in this project aims to achieve two objectives. First, by adequately considering retention and transformation processes within the water body, a more realistic estimate of average substance inputs into the oceans is to be achieved. For this purpose, the input modeling will be coupled with substance-specific model modules to depict relevant processes during transport through the water network. Secondly, a risk assessment for inland waters will be carried out, e.g., with regard to the exceedance of defined quality targets. This will be achieved through a scenario-based calculation of substance concentrations and the indication of the probability of a target value being exceeded.