Natura 2000 monitoring
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has provided funding for the inclusion of passive ammonia samplers on 14 Natura 2000 sites across Ireland. Similiar to the "Ammonia" project carried out in UCD and University of Trent in Canada, 14 masts have been erected on Natura sites across Ireland. One mast has been co-located with an active denuder ammonia sampler courtesy of staff in Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. Passive ammonia (opens in a new window)"ALPHA" samplers will be posted to conservation rangers across Ireland which will be placed on these masts every 30 days. This monitoring will allow for atmospheric ammonia concentrations on selected Natura 2000 sites to be accurately gauged.
As a trial study, while providing valuable information on atmospheric ammonia concentrations on selected sites, it will also test the procedure for atmospheric ammonia monitoring on sensitive Natura 2000 sites. This is an important facet of this work, as monitoring atmospheric ammonia concentrations on sensitive sites has recently become a legal obligation in Europe under the recent amendments to the (opens in a new window)EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive.
This study will provide useful information on the development and implementation of a national monitoring programme designed to meet the needs of the NEC directive under a risk based approach.
