Certain vegetables take up heavy metals from contaminated water used for irrigation, a new study finds. The researchers grew vegetables in greenhouses similar to field conditions in Greece and found that concentrations of nickel and chromium increased in potatoes and onions, but not in carrots, when irrigated with water containing contaminant levels similar to those found in industrial wastewater.

Although soil quality is best assessed using a wide range of indicators, a smaller set may be more practical and still provide the necessary information needed to choose between land management systems. This is the conclusion of a new study in Brazil that evaluated three different indexes of soil quality based on three sets of indicators.

The widespread use of higher-yielding improved varieties of crops as part of the ‘Green Revolution’ has averted the conversion of between 18 to 27 million hectares of forests, woodlands and pastures in the period 1965 to 2004, according to a recent study. However, its authors caution that the relationship between these crops and land use change is complex, and good governance is needed to protect biodiversity from future expansion of agricultural land.

Restoration of upland bog habitats by blocking drainage channels has caused concern among some sheep farmers that this will reduce the quality of grazing areas. However, UK researchers have shown that drainage does not encourage growth of plants favoured by sheep, nor do sheep use drained areas more. Therefore they conclude such restoration measures are unlikely to detrimentally affect sheep grazing.

A new study suggests that abandoned farmland is widespread in Europe and that not all land that has been abandoned is unsuitable for farming. Understanding how abandoned farmland is distributed may be important for making land management decisions – for instance, recultivation versus reversion to forest.

Storage of carbon in soil helps to keep land fertile and regulates the climate, and is therefore an important ecosystem service. However, mapping of soil carbon stocks currently uses unreliable measures. This study used data from a national survey of English grasslands to show that soil carbon stocks can be accurately predicted using simple measures of soil and climatic conditions.

A global cropland percentage map and a global field size map have been created for the first time to guide scientists and policymakers interested in global agricultural modelling and assessment. Both maps are for the baseline year 2005 and combined multiple data sets from global, regional and national levels to achieve a high level of accuracy and 1 km2 resolution.

Soil erosion is an important issue in Europe, with consequences for water quality, ecosystem services supply and crop production. In this study, researchers enhanced an existing model to estimate soil loss and create an updated map of soil erosion across the EU. The authors say the tool can simulate the effects of land use changes and management practices and will support effective policy decisions.

Crop rotation is gaining increasing research- and policy attention as an environmentally friendly way to manage weeds. In such rotations, crops are introduced that release chemicals into the environment known to inhibit weed germination or growth (so-called allelopathic crops). Previous studies have identified Cynara cardunculus L., a perennial thistle, including varieties of globe artichoke and cardoon, as a potential allelopathic candidate. This study conducted field experiments using three botanical varieties of C. cardunculus to evaluate their effect on weeds within an ecosystem. The results confirm that C. cardunculus has an allelopathic effect in monoculture, reducing the amount of weed seeds present in soil. This paves the way for its inclusion in crop rotation as part of eco-friendly, sustainable weed-management strategies.

UN researchers highlight the need to develop better ways to measure the impacts of climate change on children's health. They suggest more attention be given to impact analysis of different social groups and ages, as well as nutrition.

Widespread use of antibiotics to prevent and treat infections in people and animals as well as for promoting growth in livestock is causing environmental contamination. A new study highlights the need for extra measures to reduce environmental pollution from antibiotics. Such pollution can increase the risk of diseases caused by bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics.

Children are thought to be at greater risk from exposure to environmental pollutants than adults because their bodies are still developing and their lower body weight means that relative exposure is higher. A new study reports background exposure levels in German children aged 3-14.

Monitoring the effects of chemicals in the human body provides useful data for assessing and managing environmental risks to health, but it also raises ethical questions about how the results of such studies should be reported to participants. New research suggests that changes are needed to the research process to allow study participants to play a greater role in interpreting, disseminating and using the results.

The discomfort associated with hot, dry summers in some urban areas can be reduced by planting the most appropriate trees in open city spaces, according to a recent study. The researchers identified the Indian laurel fig as the most effective tree for this purpose in the Greek city of Chania.

The number and impacts of disasters have increased in Europe in the period 1998-2009, a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) concludes. The report assesses the frequency of disasters and their impacts on humans, the economy and ecosystems and calls for better integrated risk management across Europe.

A recent study has investigated how exposure to a variety of environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and chlorinated compounds, affects the height and body mass index (BMI) of local communities. It found that some pollutants could be causing reduced height and BMI, which can be explained in part by the pollutants??? disrupting effects on the hormonal system.

Despite the health benefits they bring, the trees and shrubs in our cities can cause health problems for pollen allergy sufferers. Now, a study by Spanish researchers has proposed guidelines for urban planting to reduce the effects of pollen on city-dwellers.

Contrary to some established views, the local animal population is unlikely to be the major source of resistance diversity for Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 in humans in Scotland, according to a study. The researchers suggest that a broader approach to fighting antibiotic resistance is needed, which goes beyond focusing solely on curbing the use of antibiotics in domestic animal populations.

Pollen allergy is a common cause of allergic respiratory diseases such as hay fever and asthma. A recent continent-wide study suggests that rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the last 30 years may be increasing pollen counts especially in European cities, which could have serious consequences for public health.

In the aftermath of natural disasters, displaced communities require temporary accommodation. A new study has examined how the built environment of these temporary communities influences their recovery and resilience, using accommodation set up after Hurricane Katrina as a case study. It highlights the importance of developing transitional built environments that consider the social and mental health needs of a community.

Increasing noise levels are a global environmental concern, and have been linked to important health issues, such as heart disease and cognitive development. New Danish research has now shown that it is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

The impact of air quality on public welfare is important to policy development. However, it is difficult to make a clear link between the two when air pollution tends to be reported at a country level and wellbeing is an individual measure. A new study takes a step further towards linking the two by analysing regional level air quality across the EU and relating it to levels of life satisfaction.

The worldwide decline of pollinators could increase cases of vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies in humans, new research suggests. For instance, pollination is needed for the crops that produce half of all plant-derived vitamin A across much of south-east Asia. Furthermore, areas which depend most on pollination for micronutrient supply tend to be poorer and already at higher risk of deficiencies.

Dry soils and a lack of cloud cover help explain a major heatwave in France, concludes new research. The study indicates that the two drivers were separate, unlinked events that came together at the same time to worsen the 2006 heatwave. Its findings could allow heatwaves to be predicted more accurately to protect public health.

For people in the UK to eat the recommended 280 grams of fish per week, the country would have to rely on aquaculture and increasingly on imports of both wild and farmed fish from poorer countries, a recent study has revealed. This can have social and environmental implications and the researchers urge governments, particularly in developed countries, to consider nutritional advice in a global context, to minimise the impact of fish exports from poorer countries.

Producing and consuming food has a significant environmental impact. In the search for a sustainable diet, researchers in Sweden explored a method of food production that does not exceed the level of globally available arable land per capita, and involves raising livestock on pasture or by-products not suitable for humans (the ‘ecological leftovers’ principle). The researchers developed three diets based on this method and evaluated their environmental impact compared with current diets.

The application to crops of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) recovered from waste water may cause antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) present in this fertiliser to enter the food chain. Chinese researchers who conducted this study on Brassica plants suggest that ARGs in struvite pass from the soil into the roots of the plant, and from the roots to the leaves, via the bacterial community already present. The results of this research highlight the need for struvite production methods and agricultural practices that minimise the risk of antibiotic-resistance transmission from struvite to humans or animals via the environment.

Outside the laboratory, living organisms are never subject to single stressors at set doses. In the real world, they face an intricate array of physical, chemical and biological environmental stressors that vary in space and time. The problem of assessing these complex risks for human health and the environment is a great challenge for scientists and regulators alike. For example, even if Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPCs) for individual contaminants are not exceeded in water, in combination they can still be potentially hazardous to wildlife. This thematic issue reports on scientific research which can help us overcome some of the challenges associated with assessing the combination effects of chemicals.

Policy measures to protect biodiversity must be scientifically sound in order to deal with the complexity of nature and the human pressures on nature. This thematic issue reports on research which can help policy makers understand biodiversity in water and different ways in which human activity can be managed to ensure both wildlife and humans benefit from healthy aquatic and marine ecosystems.

The current economic and environmental crisis tells us that the time is ripe for governments around the world to implement a new kind of economy, which is resilient, sustainable, operates within the limits of our planet's resources and creates a fairer society. This thematic issue covers research which can help policy makers develop this Global Green Economy.

Brownfield regeneration and land use planning are complex issues which encompass many different environmental, economic and social dimensions. This Thematic Issue brings together quality research into brownfield regeneration, which highlights insights and successful strategies from across Europe and beyond.

Ecosystems are not only essential to human life but can help us face changing conditions in the future. This Thematic Issue brings together the latest research on how the protection of ecosystems, and the services they provide, can form an important part of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

During the last century, large areas of the seafloor have been damaged by human activities such as fishing, sand and gravel extraction and navigational dredging. This Thematic Issue presents quality research exploring the physical damage to the seafloor, new methods for providing seabed information and pressures on marine ecosystems from activities such as deep-sea mining.

Linking land and the sea, coastal zones are unique areas, highly diverse in species, habitats and ecosystems and very important to human activities. But there is a mounting stress on these valuable ecosystems from economic, social and environmental pressures. This Thematic Issue presents key pieces of research that demonstrate tools and experiences for achieving more sustainable coastal ecosystems, and highlights that policy action must continue to strive for significantly improved management.

Nanomaterials – at a scale of one thousand times smaller than a millimetre – offer the promise of radical technological development. Many of these will improve our quality of life, and develop our economies, but all will be measured against the overarching principle that we do not make some error, and harm ourselves and our environment by exposure to new forms of hazard. This Thematic Issue explores recent developments in nanomaterials research, and possibilities for safe, practical and resource-efficient applications.

Energy efficiency is at the centre of EU policy for achieving a fundamental transformation of Europe’s energy systems by 2030. This Thematic Issue reveals the complexity of the issue of energy efficiency, its links with resource efficiency and the wide range of factors influencing it, from technology to social practices.

How environmental agencies can best engage with, and reap the benefits of, Environmental Enforcement Networks (EENs) has been identified in new research. The study used questionnaires and interviews with senior figures from eight environment agencies, spanning seven countries, to identify the key themes of, and ways of improving engagement with, EENs, to extract the maximum benefits. The input was then used to perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of engaging with EENs, from which options for improved engagement could be developed.

Managing landscapes effectively requires the involvement of a wide variety of stakeholders. The views and interests of these different groups can be effectively integrated by agri-environment 'collaboratives' — a type of bridging organisation which can be found in varying forms in Europe. Using data from Germany and the Netherlands, a study concludes that these groups make important contributions to landscape management, ranging from implementing policy to generating income.