ALPTRAC

High Alpine Aerosol and Snow Chemistry Study

Completed


Type of Structure: coordinated project
Regional Scope: continental in the area: Europe
Parent Organisations: EUROTRAC.EUREKA
Child Organisations:
Duration : 1990 to 1995 COMPLETED
Contact Address: no office contact defined

related to ALPTRAC

General information and objectives

  • To determine the main physical and chemical processes responsible for the occurrence and accumulation of acidic and aerosol components in the high alpine region.
  • To investigate the contribution of various source regions to the deposition of trace components and their geographical and seasonal trends.


Field study in the high alpine region measuring:
  • acidic and related aerosol components
  • magnitude, geographic and seasonal trends of the deposition of trace components
  • relative contributions of the source types (anthropogenic versus natural)
  • pollution trends during the past 100 years from glaciers

    Highlights of ALPTRAC current scientific results
    Snow samples are now routinely taken at 15 sites between 2450 and 3900 m over a 650 km stretch of the Alps. There is clear evidence for an increase in acid deposition, both sulphuric and nitric acids, over the Alps this century, with a striking increase, west to east, by a factor of between 2 and 3. ( Although this increase may be due to greater deposition in the east, a possible dilution effect in the west, where more snow fell, needs to be taken into account.) A complete description of the stations and their activities is published in the ALPTRAC Data Catalogue, a EUROTRAC Special Publication.


    Last update: 2/9/22
    Source of data: ProClim- Research InfoSystem (1993-2024)

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