Significance of land use data for risk assessment pesticide pollution in German river basins

Pesticide exposure and resulting surface water contamination was assessed with national coverage for all regions of Germany classified as agricultural land, according to the CORINE land-cover (CLC) dataset. Pesticide load from diffuse sources and resulting predicted envi- ronmental concentrations in surface waters (PECsw) were modelled by DRIPS - Drainage Spraydrift and Runoff Input of Pesticides in Surface Waters. Model simulations were con- ducted for all pesticide applications of 59 common active ingredients (a.i.) in nine field crops in the year 2000. Model results were compiled in 19116 maps (1 km x 1 km) indicating the land use specific spatially differentiated hazard potential of respective pesticide application scenarios.