title: Narrow pH Range of Surface Water Bodies Receiving Pesticide Input in Europe.
abstract: Fate and toxicity of the active ingredients (AI's) of plant protection products in surface waters is often influenced by pH. Although a general range of pH values is reported in literature, an evaluation targeting aquatic ecosystems with documented AI inputs is lacking at the larger scale. Results show 95% of European surface waters (n = 3075) with a documented history of AI exposure fall within a rather narrow pH range, between 7.0 and 8.5. Spatial and temporal variability in the data may at least be partly explained by the calcareous characteristics of parental rock material, the affiliation of the sampling site to a freshwater ecoregion, and the photosynthetic activity of macrophytes (i.e., higher pH values with photosynthesis). Nonetheless, the documented pH range fits well with the standard pH of most ecotoxicological test guidelines, confirming the fate and ecotoxicity of AIs are usually adequately addressed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.|Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mirco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bundschuh
authors.affiliation: Bayer CropScience AG, Alfred-Nobel-Strasse 50, 40789, Monheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Arnd
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weyers
authors.affiliation: Bayer CropScience AG, Alfred-Nobel-Strasse 50, 40789, Monheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elsaesser
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau, Germany. schulz@uni-landau.de.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D054750:Ecotoxicology; D005060:Europe; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010575:Pesticides; D012016:Reference Values; D014867:Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water
keywords: Fate; Pesticide; Risk assessment; Surface water; pH