Nitrate in the News
Nitrate News -- February, 1999
- Spotlight: Monitoring land and water (FAO-UN, Feb, 1999)
Data on land and water have large gaps and are often of poor quality, especially in the
less developed countries Information on land and freshwater is not only the foundation for
national planning, but also provides the building blocks for regional and global systems
needed for monitoring global food security and the health of our planet. FAO promotes
development of monitoring systems, based on universally accepted indicators, that provide
the information required for sound decision-making for the sustainable management of land
and water resources, and also for understanding better processes and trends in their use
and degradation. This enables more timely and effective prevention, control and
restoration. Yet current national-level data on land and water have large gaps and are
often of poor quality, especially in the less developed countries. Baseline information on
land quality and the state of land degradation and erosion, and of the soil fertility
status of cultivated lands, are limited, and information on current land use does not
exist in many of these countries. Data needs. User requirements are different at
international, national and local level. At international level, improved global data sets
are required for assessment of land and water resources potential and to provide
information for perspective studies and global studies on the state of natural resources.
At national and sub-national levels, information is mostly needed for planning and
monitoring of land and water resources by national and provincial authorities. At local
level, more data is needed for better management of resources, and for planning of the use
of these resources by farmers, farmers groups, NGOs, district planners and specialists.
Without adequate information on land and water, policies on sustainable agricultural
development are unreliable, at global, national or sub-national level. Fundamental FAO
exercises, such as World agriculture towards 2020, rely on a supply of basic data for
analysis and projections. FAO's Special Programme on Food Security requires identification
of high potential areas where efforts should be concentrated. The Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research need
data to take decisions on research priorities that concern marginal areas and crops.
Governments that are signatories of various UNCED initiatives - Convention on Biological
Diversity, Convention to Combat Desertification - are confronted with decisions to be made
on land use conflicts involving claims for identification, demarcation and control of
nature reserves and claims for agriculture and other uses. Thus, they need reliable
information on the potential and constraints of land resources in order to make adequate
decisions on their allocation and use. Without quantitative knowledge of water balance and
the performance of irrigation systems, the potential to improve them remains largely
unknown. A major effort is required for understanding water systems and the implications
of reallocation of water to increase efficiency of use. Full understanding of the
processes, based on river basin data, is needed for devising adequate policies and
management action. Both water-scarce countries and those plagued by excess water need more
comprehensive, more accurate and better integrated water information for planning,
development and management of a more productive agriculture. As global trade expands and
food security comes to rely increasingly on trade, global land and water data and
information are needed to monitor changes and trends in the state of the world's natural
resources. Data and information gaps. FAO warns that existing global land and water
resource information is partly outdated. Information on land degradation is more recent
but lacks detail, while land use information has never been systematically compiled nor
harmonized worldwide. Perhaps the most significant gap regards the present use of land and
water, especially land under irrigation and rain-fed agriculture. Other gaps in existing
global data sets concern information on water use and water demand (including irrigation),
water rights and socio-economic data. FAO says monitoring the state of use of land and
water resources - and the future sustainability and vulnerability of their development -
require that adequate land and water resources information be assembled. The information
should be collected on a country basis, using existing systems as far as appropriate, and
stored in geographic information systems. For compatibility with water accounting, land
data needs to be recompiled in terms of river basins and water divides. For International
data collection, all data should be comparable as regards units and criteria for
measurements and assessments, and use comparable time periods for time series. To
facilitate data integration by users and cost-effective data collection, data standards
are needed, including a procedure for data quality control and a way to calibrate and
verify the accuracy of information based on them. Guidelines are needed on how to build
and maintain data sets. Promise of technology. Natural resources management issues have
become increasingly complex and interdependent and require integration of land and water
information with sectoral information and improved decision-support tools. New technology
allows the creation of comprehensive integrated systems, which give access to multi-scale
information and multi-purpose analysis in support of decision-making in land and water.
For example, Satellite Based Positioning System (SBPS) navigation and remotely sensed
image display and analysis can be incorporated to enhance the capability - and broaden the
applications - of the integrated systems. Similarly, technologies for site-specific
agriculture at local or field level will play an increasing role in raising land
productivity. With new low-cost technologies and tools now available, development and
implementation of rapid and effective land and water monitoring has become accessible. The
success of the concept relies on integrating recent advances in information technology
(rapid data capture through remote sensing and SBPS, fast workstations and software, rapid
development of applications, and multi-media for speedy dissemination of information) with
local researchers and land and water resources planners and managers. FAO has a specific
and recognized capacity in assessing land and rural water use and integrating land and
water issues within inland fisheries, forestry and rural development. FAO is also the
leading agency in building soils and terrain databases and applying these in global and
national agricultural studies. As part of its normative activities, FAO has initiated a
six-year project "Development of information and decision-support systems on
integrated land and water resources management" which provides the framework for all
future FAO initiatives in the area of land and water information and monitoring. http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/magazine/9901sp4.htm
- Polar clouds contain nitric acid (ENN, AP, Friday,
February 12, 1999) "The first analysis of clouds high above the Arctic -- where the
protective ozone layer is being damaged -- shows they contain water and nitric acid.
Nitric acid sucks up more active forms of nitrogen that can damage the ozone. But finding
it in the clouds indicates that it is condensing out of the upper air, allowing conditions
to develop that help create the ozone hole, scientists said. The polar stratospheric
clouds, nine to 15 miles above the Earth's surface, provide a place where chemical
reactions occur in which chlorine attacks and destroys ozone. Now, German scientists have
sent a balloon up to sample the clouds and provide the first analysis of what they
contain. What they found was water -- normal for clouds -- and nitric acid, researchers
from the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg report in today's issue of
the journal Science. The presence of nitric acid had been suspected in the past, but never
measured, the team headed by Jochen Schreiner said. The ozone layer protects the Earth
from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Those rays can cause skin cancer, eye
damage, skin wrinkling and premature aging. A thinning of this protective layer was first
noticed over Antarctica, and a weakening of the layer to a lesser degree has now been
detected over the Arctic. An increase in ultraviolet radiation in the more heavily
populated northern countries could be dangerous to many people. This threat led to the
1989 Montreal agreement to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons that rise into the air and
destroy ozone. Even with that ban, large amounts of CFCs remain in the atmosphere.
Nitrogen is the most common gas in the atmosphere and several active nitrogen compounds,
including nitrous acid, can damage the ozone themselves, said Konrad Mauersberger of the
Max Planck Institute. Nitric acid is a relatively stable "sink" for those more
active forms, soaking them up and eventually settling to lower levels and raining out of
the air, he said. The actual measurement of the polar clouds is important because it helps
researchers forecast ozone changes in the upper air, Mauersberger said. Scientists have
not been able to directly analyze the composition of polar stratospheric clouds
previously, though some earlier aircraft flights provided indirect evidence that nitric
acid and water were present, Mauersberger said. The researchers launched their
high-altitude balloon from Kiruna, Sweden."
- Judge limits work on South Dakota hog farm (Environmental
News Network, Feb 3 ’99) "Opponents -- who filed suit to stop what would be the
third largest hog farm in the country -- claim major victory after judge ruled against a
request to return the case to South Dakota. A decision will be made Feb. 16 on whether the
facility violates environmental and historical preservation laws. Federal District Court
Judge Joyce Hens Green ordered the controversial hog farm case to remain in Washington,
D.C., for judgment. Her Jan. 21 order permits limited finishing work to continue at Site 1
of the 13-site facility -- in response to the injunction request to halt construction. The
order prohibits any operation of Site 1, "which means no pigs can be brought in until
after the Feb. 16 hearing, if ever," the plaintiffs' attorney, Gretchen Biggs, said.
"This is a major victory for the grass-roots people of the Rosebud Indian Reservation
and Mellette County," Oleta Mednansky, RST member, said. Mednansky is co-chairwoman
of Concerned Rosebud Area Citizens, one of the plaintiffs in the suit. "The important
result of this hearing is what amounts to be a temporary injunction on Site 1 which has 24
buildings. They can finish eight of the buildings, but no more," Biggs said.
"What's also important is the judge recognized the devastating affects this facility
would have on the area. She'll be deciding at the next hearing whether to issue a more
permanent injunction until she issues her decision." Two months ago four opposing
groups filed suit against the federal government challenging the Bureau of Indian Affairs'
approval of an enormous hog facility on Rosebud Sioux tribal land in Mellette County,
South Dakota. They contend Rosebud Agency BIA Superintendent Larry Burr approved lease of
tribal trust land to Bell Farms and its partners, Sun Prairie, Mountain Prairie and Hormel
Foods, without an environmental impact statement. With a majority of tribal council
members supporting the hog farm and no recourse in sight, Concerned Rosebud Area Citizens
and the Peace and Justice Center, both in Mission, joined forces with the California-based
Humane Farming Association and the Animal Law Center in Boulder, Colo., to stop the hog
farm. Last month, plaintiffs filed for an injunction to stop all construction at the
facility, "but the government responded by asking the court to transfer the case to
South Dakota instead of ruling on plaintiffs' request," Biggs said. Biggs argued
strenuously against the transfer on the grounds it would delay her clients' effort to stop
construction and operation of the facility. "The court seemed to agree with the
question plaintiffs raise, whether the facility is proceeding in violation of
environmental and historical preservation laws. The judge said, `a swift answer is in
order.' The court indicated that the merits of the plaintiffs' case needed prompt
resolution." The judge's ruling apparently came as a surprise and now the tribe and
Bell Farms are planning to intervene, Biggs said. "Their attorneys called to tell me
they were going to file. We'll see what happens." Ken Dewell, attorney for the
Rosebud Sioux Tribal government, said an evaluation of the case is in progress, but a no
decision on whether to file has been made. If filed, he said the tribe would move to
defend the environmental assessment approved by the tribe and Burr. He said permission was
needed from Biggs before the tribe could file, but when asked, Biggs wouldn't consent. He
said he didn't understand why she doesn't want the tribe and Bell Farms involved. "I
refused to consent. The court will decide whether they can intervene," Biggs said.
"We didn't sue the tribe or Bell Farms. Our complaint is with the federal government.
We have a gripe with the federal government. We don't have anything against the tribe. Our
plaintiffs are tribal members. We don't want to be in court against the tribe. We don't
want them to be a part of the case and we don't think they are a part of the case."
Regardless of possible intervention, Biggs expressed satisfaction in the victory and said
she eagerly awaits the next hearing. "This is a great result. We got everything we
wanted out of round one, of this battle. We wish they wouldn't even keep working on these
eight buildings, but of far greater concern was the fact that pigs might arrive on the
site. We know now the judge won't let that happen until she has had the opportunity to
take a hard look at the real issues in our case," Biggs said. "Clearly, Judge
Green understands what's at stake here. She has speeded up the litigation because she
wants to decide the case promptly. It's wonderful news for us. I look forward to returning
to court Feb. 16 to ask for final resolution of our claims." Her enthusiasm was
shared by the plaintiffs who hope to win the case and ensure the hog farm will never go
into operation. "Our chances are even better of being able to ensure that the 859,000
pigs destined for this facility will never be subjected to the horrible, inhumane
practices that commercial pig operations use -- such as beating to death those that are
underweight, flushing live piglets into waste lagoons and allowing sows to simply collapse
and die from years of immobilization in crates," said Gail Eisnitz, chief
investigator for the Humane Farming Association." Copyright 1999, Indian Country
Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights
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