Conclusions to the special issue of Science of the Total Environment concerning 'The water quality of UK rivers entering the North Sea'

This paper presents an overview of the water quality functioning of eastern UK rivers draining into the North Sea. It summarises the results of three special issues of Science of the Total Environment and related work and com plements a companion bibliography (Neal and Turner, 2000, this volume). The rivers are described in straightforward broad terms, and the reader is gui ded via the bibliography to the special volumes for the detailed findings. The water quality is shown to be highly variable over space and time. The c hanges over the past 300 years reflect first the transition from a rural so ciety to the major impact of the industrial revolution and subsequently to one of the worlds' most successful environmental cleanups. The present wate r quality reflects the relative impacts of diffuse agricultural sources, ur ban and industrial point source discharges together with background inputs associated with geology: all these can be modified by within-river processe s associated with physical mixing, biology and inorganic reactions. The wor k is set within the context of water quality, modelling and flux outputs to the North Sea and contemporary and future environmental research and manag ement needs. A range of environmental impact studies is included. The detai led information is now available on a major and easily accessible database. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.