TY - JOUR
T1 - Saving freshwater from salts
T2 - Ion-specific standards are needed to protect biodiversity
AU - Canedo-Arguelles, Miguel
AU - Hawkins, Charles
AU - KEFFORD, Ben
AU - Schäfer, R
AU - DYACK, Brenda
AU - Brucet, Sandra
AU - Buchwalter, David B
AU - Dunlop, Jason
AU - Fror, Oliver
AU - Lazorchak, James M.
AU - Coring, Eckhard
AU - Fernandez, H. R.
AU - Goodfellow, W
AU - Achem, Ana Lucia Gonzalez
AU - Hatfield-Dodds, Steve
AU - Karimov, Bakhtiyor K
AU - Mensah, P
AU - Olson, J.R
AU - Piscart, Christophe
AU - Prat, Narcís
AU - Ponsa, S
AU - Schulz, Claus-Jürgen
AU - Timpano, Anthony J
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Many human activities—like agriculture and resource extraction—are increasing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (i.e., salinity) in freshwaters. Increasing salinity can have adverse effects on human health (1); increase the costs of water treatment for human consumption; and damage infrastructure [e.g., amounting to $700 million per year in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia (2)]. It can also reduce freshwater biodiversity (3); alter ecosystem functions (4); and affect economic well-being by altering ecosystem goods and services (e.g., fisheries collapse). Yet water-quality legislation and regulations that target salinity typically focus on drinking water and irrigation water, which does not automatically protect biodiversity. For example, specific electrical conductivities (a proxy for salinity) of 2 mS/cm can be acceptable for drinking and irrigation but could extirpate many freshwater insect species (3). We argue that salinity standards for specific ions and ion mixtures, not just for total salinity, should be developed and legally enforced to protect freshwater life and ecosystem services. We identify barriers to setting such standards and recommend management guidelines
AB - Many human activities—like agriculture and resource extraction—are increasing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (i.e., salinity) in freshwaters. Increasing salinity can have adverse effects on human health (1); increase the costs of water treatment for human consumption; and damage infrastructure [e.g., amounting to $700 million per year in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia (2)]. It can also reduce freshwater biodiversity (3); alter ecosystem functions (4); and affect economic well-being by altering ecosystem goods and services (e.g., fisheries collapse). Yet water-quality legislation and regulations that target salinity typically focus on drinking water and irrigation water, which does not automatically protect biodiversity. For example, specific electrical conductivities (a proxy for salinity) of 2 mS/cm can be acceptable for drinking and irrigation but could extirpate many freshwater insect species (3). We argue that salinity standards for specific ions and ion mixtures, not just for total salinity, should be developed and legally enforced to protect freshwater life and ecosystem services. We identify barriers to setting such standards and recommend management guidelines
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959441503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/saving-freshwater-salts-ionspecific-standards-needed-protect-biodiversity
U2 - 10.1126/science.aad3488
DO - 10.1126/science.aad3488
M3 - Article
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 351
SP - 914
EP - 916
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 6276
ER -