http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2023 2013-05-26T02:59:08Z 2013-05-26T02:59:08Z McMahon, Barry J. Giralt, David Raurell, Montse Brotons, Lluís Bota, Gerard http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4315 2013-05-13T14:57:50Z 2010-07-30T00:00:00Z

Identifying set-aside features for bird conservation and management in northeast Iberian pseudo-steppes McMahon, Barry J.; Giralt, David; Raurell, Montse; Brotons, Lluís; Bota, Gerard Capsule. Set-aside (land temporally removed from agricultural production) features and their regional locations influence steppe-bird species of conservation concern in Catalonia. Aims. To identify set-aside features important to the ecology of four ground nesting species, namely Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla and Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra. Methods. Set-aside fields were surveyed in four regions of Catalonia (northeast of Spain) for the selected species during the 2004 and 2005 breeding seasons. Set-aside habitat descriptors (e.g. size, vegetation structure) were collected. Ordination plots and information theoretic methods were used to assess the relationship between the selected bird species, set-aside features and the regions. Results. The region where the set-aside was located had a strong effect on the abundance of the selected species. In addition, vegetation coverage, field shape of set-aside and surrounding natural habitats were critical features, but with contrasting effects on the different species. Conclusion. Populations of the selected species of conservation concern could be improved by effective management of set-aside. As selected species responded differently, we recommend that management at local level should take into account the conservation value at a regional level of the protected area for each of the selected species.

2010-07-30T00:00:00Z McMahon, Barry J. Carnus, Tim Whelan, John http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4314 2013-05-13T14:54:41Z 2013-01-16T00:00:00Z

A comparison of winter bird communities in agricultural grassland and cereal habitats in Ireland: implications for Common Agricultural Policy reform McMahon, Barry J.; Carnus, Tim; Whelan, John Capsule. In winter, grassland sites had greater bird numbers compared to winter cereals, but a number of species of conservation concern were exclusively recorded on winter cereals. Aims. To compare the winter bird communities in grassland and winter cereal fields. Methods. Grassland and winter cereal fields were surveyed for overwintering birds in a landscape of mixed grassland and arable agriculture. Results. Generalized Linear Models demonstrated that total bird abundance, the mean abundance of the majority of ecological groups and that of several common species, were significantly greater in grassland compared with winter cereal fields. However, a number of species of conservation concern, e.g. Skylark Aluda arvensis, were observed only on winter cereal fields. Only a minority of bird variables showed a positive response to field size. Of these, total bird species richness and the Shannon and Simpson's diversity indices showed positive significant responses to increasing field size, which may alternatively and perhaps more correctly be interpreted as a positive response to field boundary density within the farmed landscape. Conclusions. Farmland habitats are important for the provision of overwintering resources for birds, and policy directed towards bird conservation should target the management of locally significant habitat types. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the proposed revision of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2014, particularly the proposed measure for crop diversification.

2013-01-16T00:00:00Z Grant, Olga http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4306 2013-05-07T11:50:37Z 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z

Measuring evapotranspiration of hardy ornamental nursery stock: a hurdle for irrigation management Grant, Olga Although the land area dedicated to the production of hardy ornamental nursery stock (HONS) is relatively small, the sector places considerable demands on water supplies: production is largely in pots with limited water-holding capacity, and therefore frequent irrigation is essential. It has been shown that accurate scheduling to meet crop demand (rather than over- or under-watering) benefits quality of HONS, as well as reducing water use and run-off of nutrients and pesticides. Deficit irrigation techniques, in which plants are irrigated to replace less than 100% of the water they transpire, can further control growth and may have additional advantages, for example in reducing pests and disease. Deficit irrigation, however, requires precise scheduling to minimise the risk of excessive drying of the substrate. Numerous different species and cultivars, often at different stages in the production cycle, can be grown together on a single nursery, meaning that several different irrigation schedules need to operate at once. One option is to irrigate crops on the basis of their evapotranspiration rates. In other sectors, this entails measurement of weather conditions to calculate the evapotranspiration of a reference crop, which is then multiplied by a crop-specific factor (crop coefficient) to estimate the evapotranspiration of the crop in question. Crop coefficients, however, are not generally known for HONS. Efforts to deal with this issue, as well as alternative methods of estimating evapotranspiration using gravimetric methods or remote sensing, are reviewed in this chapter.

2013-01-01T00:00:00Z Danaher, Sean Herries, Graham M. Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig O'Mongain, E. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4033 2013-01-14T16:59:22Z 1994-09-01T00:00:00Z

Classification of forestry species using singular value decomposition Danaher, Sean; Herries, Graham M.; Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig; O'Mongain, E. A method is defined and tested for the classification of forest species from multi-spectral data, based on singular value decomposition (SVD) and key vector analysis. The SVD technique, which bears a close resemblance to multivariate statistic techniques has previously been successfully applied to the problem of signal extraction from marine data. In this study the SVD technique is used as a classifier for forest regions, using SPOT and landsat thematic mapper data. The specific region chosen is in the County Wicklow area of Ireland. This area has a large number of species, within a very small region and hence is not amenable to existing techniques. Preliminary results indicate that SVD is a fast and efficient classifier with the ability to differentiate between species such as Scots pine, Japanese larch and Sitka spruce. Classification accuracy's using this technique yielded excellent results of > 99% for forest, against four background classes. The accuracy's of the individual species classification are slightly lower, but they are still high at 97 - 100% for the SPOT wavebands. When the Landsat TM bands 3, 4, and 5 were used on their own, accuracies of 95 - 100% were achieved. Multispectral and Microwave Sensing of Forestry, Hydrology, and Natural Resources, Rome, Italy, September 26, 1994

1994-09-01T00:00:00Z Fekedulegn, Desta Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig Colbert, Jim J. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4032 2013-02-05T14:20:22Z 1999-11-01T00:00:00Z

Parameter Estimation of Nonlinear Models in Forestry. Fekedulegn, Desta; Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig; Colbert, Jim J. Partial derivatives of the negative exponential, monomolecular, Mitcherlich, Gompertz, logistic, Chapman-Richards, von Bertalanffy, Weibull and the Richard’s nonlinear growth models are presented. The application of these partial derivatives in estimating the model parameters is illustrated. The parameters are estimated using the Marquardt iterative method of nonlinear regression relating top height to age of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) from the Bowmont Norway Spruce Thinning Experiment. Formulas that provide good initial values of the parameters are specified. Clear definitions of the parameters of the nonlinear models in the context of the system being modelled are found to be critically important in the process of parameter estimation.

1999-11-01T00:00:00Z Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4031 2013-01-14T16:44:24Z 2007-09-01T00:00:00Z

The Roy Bose simultaneous confidence interval approach to multivariate multitemporal pairwise comparisons within and between objects Mac Siúrtáin, Máirtín Pádraig MANOVA and Roy-Bose simultaneous confidence intervals when combined with distribution matrices of ordered differences and ordered difference component vectors define the he Roy Bose simultaneous confidence interval approach to multivariate multitemporal pairwise comparisons within and between objects. While the objects used in this experiment were species of trees, the methodology may be equally applicable to any class of objects which exhibit multitemporal and multivariate changes in p-dimensional response profiles or vectors with time. The methodology is most easily applied to balanced data. Geocomputation 2007, NUI Maynooth, Ireland, 3rd to 5th September 2007

2007-09-01T00:00:00Z McMahon, Barry J. Anderson, Annette Carnus, Tim Helden, Alvin Kelly-Quinn, Mary Maki, Amel Sheridan, Helen Purvis, Gordon http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4027 2013-01-14T16:12:30Z 2012-07-01T00:00:00Z

Different bioindicators measured at different spatial scales vary in their response to agricultural intensity McMahon, Barry J.; Anderson, Annette; Carnus, Tim; Helden, Alvin; Kelly-Quinn, Mary; Maki, Amel; Sheridan, Helen; Purvis, Gordon Ecologically, potential bioindicator taxa operate at different scales within agricultural ecosystems, and thereby provide a means to investigate the influence of changing management practice on biological diversity at different scales within the agro-ecosystem. Surveys of grassland plant species at field level, parasitoid Hymenoptera at the field and farm scale, and bird populations and habitats at farm scale were carried out on 119 grass-based farms across three regions in the Republic of Ireland. In addition, habitat richness and aquatic macroinvertebrates were quantified at landscape scale. Agricultural intensity on the surveyed farms was quantified by mean farm stocking rate, calculated as livestock units per ha (LU/ha), and generalised linear mixed models used to evaluate relationships between stocking rate and the incidence of chosen bioindicator groups. Field scale bioindicators (plant species richness and parasitoid taxon richness and abundance) were negatively associated with mean farm stocking rate. Over much of its observed range, mean farm stocking rate was positively associated with total bird species richness and abundance, and the species richness and abundance of farmland bird indicator species recorded in the winter season. However, these relationships were quadratic, and above a relatively high upper limit of 2.5–3.5 LU/ha, further increase in farm stocking rate had a negative influence. Results demonstrate that different bioindicators measured at different spatial scales vary in their response to agricultural intensity. The lack of a consistent bioindicator response to farm stocking rate suggests that within predominantly farmed regions, maximising biodiversity requires a careful targeting and monitoring with bioindicator taxa that are informative of influences at relevant operational scales. The insights provided may then be much more informative for the design and implementation of agri-environment measures that maximise biodiversity within farmed landscapes.

2012-07-01T00:00:00Z Johansson, Magnus P. McMahon, Barry J. Höglund, Jacob Segelbacher, Gernot http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4026 2013-01-14T16:05:27Z 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Amplification success of multilocus genotypes from feathers found in the field compared with feathers obtained from shot birds Johansson, Magnus P.; McMahon, Barry J.; Höglund, Jacob; Segelbacher, Gernot Effective DNA extraction methods from bird feathers have facilitated non-invasive sampling, leading to the suggestion that feathers are a great source for genetic studies. However, few studies have assessed whether all feathers can be used or provide equal numbers of useful templates. In this study, feathers collected in various ways from Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus were examined to establish the quality of DNA extracted. Individual samples were classified into two categories according to whether they were collected from shot birds or found in the field. DNA was extracted from all samples and genotyped at 19 microsatellite loci. PCR products were analysed on a MegaBACE 1000. A total of 93% of the ‘shot’ category produced a genotype that was considered successful (i.e. 15 of 18 loci) and 23% of the ‘collected’ category produced successful genotypes under the same criteria. There was a significant difference between shot and collected samples in genotyping success and the observed number of missing loci. Recommendations and best practices are discussed along with the utility of bird feathers as a source of DNA for population and conservation biology.

2012-01-01T00:00:00Z McMahon, Barry J. Sheridan, Helen Kinsella, Anne Purvis, Gordon http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4025 2013-01-14T16:01:15Z 2010-02-04T00:00:00Z

An assessment of bird species within Irish agricultural landscapes using the Field Boundary Evaluation and Grading System. McMahon, Barry J.; Sheridan, Helen; Kinsella, Anne; Purvis, Gordon Capsule The Field Boundary Evaluation and Grading System (FBEGS) is a useful predictor of bird populations found in field boundaries located in southeast Ireland. Aims To assess the potential of FBEGS to evaluate the ecological quality of field boundaries in agricultural ecosystems and as a tool for the measurement of bird populations within field boundaries. Methods Surveys of bird populations were made in selected field boundaries on 50 farms in southeast Ireland in winter and during the breeding season. FBEGS surveys were also carried out on field boundaries to assess ecological quality. glms were fitted to assess the utility of the FBEGS Index as a predictor of bird populations. Results The FBEGS Index was an effective predictor of bird populations in the breeding season, but had limited use in predicting bird populations in winter. Within the overall FBEGS Index, the Associated Features score was a good predictor for populations in both the winter and breeding seasons. In addition, the Boundary Structural score of the field boundary was also an accurate predictor of birds in the breeding season. Conclusion The FBEGS Index has high potential for predicting the effect that changes in the farmed landscape will have on bird populations.

2010-02-04T00:00:00Z McMahon, Barry J. Johansson, Magnus P. Piertney, Stuart B. Buckley, Kieran Höglund, Jacob http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4018 2013-01-14T15:58:19Z 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z

Genetic variation among endangered Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus hibernicus) populations: implications for conservation and management. McMahon, Barry J.; Johansson, Magnus P.; Piertney, Stuart B.; Buckley, Kieran; Höglund, Jacob Extant populations of Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus hibernicus) are both small and fragmented, and as such may have an increased risk of extinction through the effects of inbreeding depression and compromised adaptive potential. Here we used 19 microsatellite markers to assay genetic diversity across 89 georeferenced samples from putatively semi-isolated areas throughout the Republic of Ireland and we also genotyped 27 red grouse from Scotland using the same markers. The genetic variation within Ireland was low in comparison to previously published data from Britain and the sample of Scottish red grouse, and comparable to threatened European grouse populations of related species. Irish and Scottish grouse were significantly genetically differentiated (FST = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.04–0.10). There was evidence for weak population structure within Ireland with indications of four distinct genetic clusters. These correspond approximately to grouse populations inhabiting suitable habitat patches in the North West, Wicklow Mountains, Munster and Cork, respectively, although some admixture was detected. Pair-wise FST values among these populations ranged from 0.02 to 0.04 and the overall mean allelic richness was 5.5. Effective population size in the Munster area was estimated to be 62 individuals (95% CI = 33.6–248.8). Wicklow was the most variable population with an AR value of 5.4 alleles/locus. Local (Munster) neighbourhood size was estimated to 31 individuals corresponding to an average dispersal distance of 31 km. In order to manage and preserve Irish grouse we recommend that further fragmentation and destruction of habitats need to be prevented in conjunction with population management, including protection of the integrity of the existing population by refraining from augmenting it with individuals from mainland Britain to maximise population size.

2012-06-01T00:00:00Z McMahon, Barry J. Helden, Alvin Anderson, Annette Sheridan, Helen Kinsella, Anne Purvis, Gordon http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4017 2013-01-11T17:26:06Z 2010-10-15T00:00:00Z

Interactions between livestock systems and biodiversity in South-East Ireland McMahon, Barry J.; Helden, Alvin; Anderson, Annette; Sheridan, Helen; Kinsella, Anne; Purvis, Gordon Botanical and arthropod surveys at field level, and bird counts within field boundaries were undertaken on the same random sample of 50 grass-based farms in SE Ireland. Additional data relating to farm system, farm-level nutrient inputs, stocking rates, and participation (or otherwise) in the Irish Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) were collated. Generalized linear models (GLM) showed that farm system was a predominant influence explaining observed biological diversity. Both sward plant and arthropod diversity were greater on non-dairy (drystock) farms, but total arthropod abundance was greater on dairy farm swards. Both the breeding bird abundance and species richness were significantly greater in field boundaries on dairy, compared with non-dairy farms. These insights have relevance to the debate regarding the most effective use of public expenditure on agri-environment policy, and suggest that such incentive schemes need to become more clearly customised to realise the conservation potential of different farming systems.

2010-10-15T00:00:00Z Kacprzyk, Joanna O'Reilly, Conor Gallois, Patric McCabe, Paul F. Hogg, Bridget V . Molony, Elizabeth M. Gallagher, Thomas F. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3791 2012-09-05T16:03:02Z 2011-12-13T00:00:00Z

An in vivo root hair assay for determining rates of apoptotic-like programmed cell death in plants Kacprzyk, Joanna; O'Reilly, Conor; Gallois, Patric; McCabe, Paul F.; Hogg, Bridget V .; Molony, Elizabeth M.; Gallagher, Thomas F. In Arabidopsis thaliana we demonstrate that dying root hairs provide an easy and rapid in vivo model for the morphological identification of apoptotic-like programmed cell death in plants. The model described here is transferable between the species, can be used to investigate the rates of AL-PCD in response to various treatments and to identify modulation of AL-PCD rates in mutant/transgenic plant lines facilitating rapid screening of mutant populations in order to identify genes involved in AL-PCD regulation

2011-12-13T00:00:00Z Bracken, Fintan McMahon, Barry J. Whelan, John http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3620 2012-05-22T15:02:09Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Breeding bird populations of Irish peatlands : capsule peatlands are very important habitats for birds despite low species diversity Bracken, Fintan; McMahon, Barry J.; Whelan, John Aims to describe the variation in breeding bird populations that occur on different types of Irish peatlands and their associated habitat characteristics. Methods: Bird abundance and diversity were compared between four peatland habitat types: fens; raised bogs; Atlantic blanket bogs; and montane blanket bogs at twelve study sites using transects. Various measures of habitat quality were also taken at each location. Results: Only 21 species were recorded during the study with Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis and Sky Lark Alauda arvensis accounting for over 80% of all birds recorded. Fens had greater bird species diversity and densities than the other three peatland types. Raised bogs, Atlantic blanket bogs and montane blanket bogs were very similar in terms of their avian diversity. Each of the recorded bird species were associated with different aspects of the peatland habitat. Conclusion: This study shows that despite the relatively low avian species diversity of Irish peatlands, they are of enormous conservation value due to the presence of species of high conservation concern such as Red Grouse (Willow Ptarmigan) Lagopus lagopus and Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Cummins, Thomas Harrington, Fiona Neville, Pat http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2866 2011-10-06T14:21:05Z 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

Forest health and ecosystem monitoring in Ireland, 2009 : FutMon Project, further development and implementation of an EU-Level forest monitoring system, project number LIFE07 ENV/D/000218 Cummins, Thomas; Harrington, Fiona; Neville, Pat This work aims to protect forests in Europe from effects of air pollution, and climate change, and to provide a basis for sustainable management of forest for multiple commercial and societal values. Monitoring of forest health and forest ecosystem processes reported here for 2009 was done under the EU Life+ FutMon Project Further Development and Implementation of an EU-Level Forest Monitoring System, project number LIFE07 ENV/D/000218. These studies extend a continuous series of projects at these sites since 1991, and related work begun in Ireland in 1988, of which the latest accessible report is Farrell and Boyle (2005). Reports for intervening years, 2003–2008 are in preparation. The monitoring procedures built on those in the previous projects and closely follow the ICP Manual (UN/ECE, 1998 and updates), while data reporting is in the formates specified by FutMon. FutMon surveys carried out in 2009, and reported here, are: visual assessment of crown condition and damaging agents; leaf-area-index measurements; air quality measurements; sampling and analysis of litterfall; sampling and analysis of deposition, and; sampling and analysis of soil-solution. The health status of the forests in Ireland is good. Level I plots were assessed between June and September 2009. The key indicator of that health status is defoliation, which has a mean value of 16% for the Level I network of thirty-two plots assessed here. Discolouration also shows low values, with a mean value of 0.61, averaged from values on a a scale of 0–4. This indicates that the central value for this survey is below 10% of crown discolouration, within the class of least damage. Leaf-area index measurements were done using hemispheric photographs. The values represent the ratio of green-leaf area to ground area, using upper-leaf area for broadleaves, and half of total-green area for needle-leaves. Leaf Area Index is lowest (2.11) for Brackloon, which is unmanaged, open-canopy semi-natural ancient oak, being much higher for the two productive spruce stands. The much higher values for the two spruce stands, around 6, are at the higher end of the range of LAI observed for boreal spruce forests. Air quality was assessed with Gradko passive samplers for ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone (NH3, NO2, SO2 and O3). Ammonia levels were higher than in a comparable survey in 1999. Litterfall was collected, separated into fractions, and analysed for contents of nutrients and trace metals. Deposition, measured as precipitation, throughfall and stemflow, was collected and analysed weekly, and analysed for nutrient and other major elemental constituents. Soil-solution was also periodically sampled below the forest-floor organic horizon, and at two levels within the root-zone at two sites. Analysis demonstrates major elemental-turnover and redistribution processes at forest-ecosystem level, including dry-deposition onto foliage, foliar exchange, concentration by evaporation, interaction with soil organic matter, uptake by roots, effects of mineral weathering, and outputs to deep-soil water. These observations, combined with those throughout the twenty-year monitoring history, provide a basis for detecting change with external influences including major weather events, climate changes, specific deposition events, and also underpins investigation of the impact of novel management approaches, particularly whole-tree harvesting and more intensive recovery of harvest residues, as well as providing the means to assess exceedance of critical loads of acidity and of nutrient nitrogen. In combination, this monitoring provides the basis for ensuring forest health and the consequences of continued good health for forest-ecosystem services, and identifying change; for understanding the drivers of such change, including climate changes, and the effects of long-range transboundary air pollution; and for positive assessment of the effects of management decisions on sustainability.

2011-02-01T00:00:00Z Al Naib, Abdullah Wallace, Michael Brennan, Lorraine Fair, Trudee Lonergan, Patrick http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2838 2011-03-10T12:29:30Z 2009-12-08T00:00:00Z

Metabolomic analysis of bovine pre-implantation embryos Al Naib, Abdullah; Wallace, Michael; Brennan, Lorraine; Fair, Trudee; Lonergan, Patrick Presented at the International Embryo Transfer Society, 9th -12th January 2010 Cordoba, Argentina

2009-12-08T00:00:00Z O'Doherty, Alan Fair, Trudee http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2769 2011-02-17T12:44:37Z 2010-11-01T00:00:00Z

Investigating the acquisition of DNA methylation at maternally imprinted genes during bovine oocyte growth O'Doherty, Alan; Fair, Trudee 43rd Annual Meeting of Society for the Study of Reproduction, “The Intersection Between Genetics, Genomics, and Reproductive Biology”, 30 July–3 August 2010, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2010-11-01T00:00:00Z Quinn, Marian Hennessy, Eilis http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2663 2013-04-18T13:25:59Z 2010-11-01T00:00:00Z

Peer relationships across the preschool to school transition Quinn, Marian; Hennessy, Eilis Research Findings: The aim of this longitudinal study was to explore peer relationships across the transition from preschool to school. Participants were 35 (17 male) children attending the Irish preschool initiative Early Start (M age = 49.31 months). Sociometric measures were employed on two occasions; at the end of preschool and in the first year of school. Results indicated that most preschoolers (83%) had at least one mutual friend and by school age, all children had at least one mutual friend. Almost one third (29%) of preschools and school age children had a mutual best friend. Notably, all children made new friends in school. In addition, a number of friendships (18%) survived the preschool to school transition. Correlational analysis also suggests some stability in peer relationships from preschool into the first year of school. Exploratory multiple regression analyses observed that preschool peer variables predicted friendship status and social preference in school. Furthermore, best friendship in preschool uniquely predicted friendship in school, and best friend status in school was uniquely associated with social preference in school . Practice: Results have implications for parents’ and early educators’ promotion of children’s friendships during the transition from preschool to school.

2010-11-01T00:00:00Z Boyle, Gillian M. Farrell, E. P. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/2526 2011-10-06T13:08:52Z 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Monitoring of forest ecosystems in Ireland : FOREM 9 project : final report Boyle, Gillian M.; Farrell, E. P. Intensive monitoring has been carried out under EC Regulation 3528/86 (project number 8860 IR 001.0) at Ballyhooly, Co. Cork since 1988. In 1991, three new plots (Roundwood, Cloosh and Brackloon) were established (9060IR0030) to give a more comprehensive network of such plots in Ireland. Monitoring of these three plots continued under project numbers 9360IR0030, 9560IR0030, 9760 IR 0030 9860 IR 0030, 9960IR0030, 2000.60.IR, 2001.60.IR and the current project, focusing on atmospheric inputs and biogeochemical cycling. In 2001, a new plot, Ballinastoe was established, to replace the Roundwood plot, which was due to be clearfelled. This project, (FOREM9, 2002.60.IR) ran from January 2002 to December 2002. The monitoring is designed to improve understanding of the effects of atmospheric pollution on forest ecosystems, and is based on permanent sample plots located in important forest ecosystems in Ireland. The monitoring procedures followed those in the previous projects and closely follow the ICP Manual (UN/ECE, 1998 and updates). Measurements included: precipitation in an open-field plot; quantitative collection and chemical analysis of forest throughfall and stemflow; collection and chemical analysis of forest soil solution from zero-tension lysimeters below the forest floor, and from suction lysimeters at greater depths. The health status of the forests in Ireland is generally good. The Roundwood and Ballinastoe sites are located in the east of Ireland. As such, they are it is subject to higher levels of atmospheric pollutants than the two sites located on the west coast. If there were to be a deterioration in the health of forests in Ireland due to atmospheric deposition, it would be expected to first appear on the east coast, where deposition is highest. Thus the Roundwood and Ballinastoe sites are very valuable for the intensive monitoring programme. Atmospheric deposition in Ireland is dominated by marine ions, notably sodium and chloride. This is due to Ireland’s location on the western seaboard of continental Europe. However, the country is exposed to pollutants during periods of easterly air flows. Evidence of these is seen particularly at the Roundwood and Ballinastoe sites, in eastern Ireland. These “pollution events” merit more comprehensive treatment, to ascertain both their frequency and intensity, and to make some estimation of their potential effects on the forest ecosystem. Soil water sampling is essential to the understanding of these events. Calculation of soil water fluxes carried out in this project, improves our insight into the longer-term environmental impacts of atmospheric deposition on these forests.

2004-01-01T00:00:00Z