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The river is the consequential landscape ? forming element as it is rinsing and transporting the weakest rocks, scraping the bed and accumulating the sediment. During these processes in the river, diverse ecosystems are forming in various areas that provide habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species. In almost every river there is occurring a natural process as erosion. River erosion assessment should be considered in river management and included in management measures, as erosion can be determining fa...

The growing demand for bio-based products worldwide provides opportunity for Central and Eastern European countries to increase agricultural and wood production. Nevertheless, increase in bio-based production is restricted by emission reduction targets set by climate policies. Meanwhile, the changes in Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 offer each Member State to develop targeted and regional specific policies to meet socio-economic and environmental targets at national scale. Sustainable land management requir...

Anthropogenic activities disrupt hydrological regime (e.g. lake water level, river flow), and water quality changes due to pollution and affect ecosystems by disrupting the cycles of substances and water cycle. The composition of natural surface waters can be altered for a many reasons, for instance climatic, geographic as well as anthropogenic. Agriculture depends on a use of fertilizers, a use of pesticides, and a transport which turn agricultural land into a nonpoint source of surface water pollution. The agglo...

Majority of world inhabitants are living in cities as well as many inhabitants in Latvia choose to move to cities to look for wellfare. Living in a city with a high density of buildings, cars, and factories, the risk of air pollution increases. Air pollution from the transport, industry, and energy sectors affect the health of the urban population. In cities, air is often contaminated with dust containing various chemical elements, including heavy metals, which, even in low concentrations, can be hazardous to huma...

Nitrous oxide N2O is one of the major contributors to global warming and ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Management of agricultural soils is the largest source of N2O emissions in agricultural sector, therefore simultaneous and accurate measurement of N2O concentration is necessary. Nitrous oxide emission is formed within nitrification and denitrification processes in agricultural soils. The agricultural sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Latvia as it accounted for 24.6 % of t...

As a result of increasing concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, surface water chemical pollution and eutrophication is a problem of raising concern worldwide. Chemical quality of surface water gives an impression about different geochemical, geological, hydrological and biological processes, as well as intensity of anthropogenic load in river catchment area. The total length of Svete River is 123 kilometres, of which 75 kilometres are in the territory of Latvia. Main part of river?s drainage basin...

Agriculture is the main source of ammonia emissions. It generates around 75% of global emissions of ammonia to the atmosphere and soil manure accounts for half of agricultural emissions. Ammonia emissions have a negative impact on ecosystems and human health, as it is able to accumulate both as solid particles and as an integral part of acid cases. Measures to reduce ammonia emissions can be divided into three large groups: the first group is ammonia-reducing measures in animal housing, the second group is ammonia...

One of the most investigated topics in hydrology, during last decades, is climate change impact on hydrological cycle. Changes in the use of land is additional factor influencing hydrological regime and watershed run-off. To understand urbanisation and climate change cumulative impact on watershed run-off, modelling of different climate change and land use scenarios would be essential. The aim of this study is to investigate how watershed run-off of the Usma Lake, located in Kurzeme region of Latvia, will respond ...

The methane is one of important of GHG emissions gas from Latvia agricultural sector. There are two main sources of methane emissions: first enteric fermentation and second manure management. One of GHG mitigation measure is livestock feeding system improvement and food additive development with GHG reduction effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate inulin impact on methane and carbon dioxide balance in Holstein Friesian crossbreed calves rumen. Fifty days old Holstein Friesian crossbreed calves were divided ...

Climate change mitigation is a relevant topic in now days. One of the main sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollutants (including ammonia) emissions that promoting climate change is agriculture sector. Considerable part of GHG and ammonia emissions from agriculture in Baltic region is forming in dairy farms. The aim of the research is to estimate differences between conventional and organic dairy farms in context of GHG and ammonia emissions, taking into account livestock feeding and manure management pra...

The European Union has set a target to cut its greenhouse gas emission levels by 80% to 95% until 2050, if compared to 1990. Agricultural soil is an important carbon store and food provider in the world as well as greenhouse gas emission reducer via carbon sequestration. In order to assess the climate change mitigation effectiveness of the measures, it is necessary to obtain statistically significant data before and after the implementation. The greenhouse gas measurements from soil are commonly determined using s...

Lake Usma is unique with hundred years' old nature reserve and Natura 2000 territories in one part of the lake and developing the tourism industry in other part of the lake. During last ninety years, the water level of Lake Usma increased for approximately one meter, which caused coast erosion, changed soil ground water level in large territories around it and it is regarded to be a major factor for lake ecosystem functioning. To find sustainable management solution of Lake Usma, there is a necessity to understand...