Contaminant mobilisation from catchment soils: A changing export in a changing climate

The aim of the project is to compile current knowledge on how atmospheric and hydrological processes such as a change in temperature, groundwater level or change in precipitation pattern will influence soil system processes, such as the mobilisation of contaminants to, within, and from soils, with focus on priory substances according to the European water framework directive (WFD) such as metals (e.g. mercury, lead and aluminium), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs; e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, brominated diphenylethers, chlorophenols, chlorobenzenes, PCBs and dioxins). The project will profit from the results obtained at the Krycklan catchment study where long-term hydrological and biogeochemical monitoring has been conducted in combination with 30 years of process based research, thereby allowing the effects of climate change on contaminant mobilisation in soils to be explored. The primary objective of the project is to: a) deliver a compilation of current knowledge regarding soil system processes with focus on contaminant mobilisation, b) gather existing data and produce models based on the compiled data and knowledge, and to c) identify key processes and parameters needed to expand the necessary knowledge and improve the models.