Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems

Forest at the LWF-Site Novaggio (TI)

The International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems (ICP IM) is part of the UN ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTRAP).
Special focus of ICP IM is to improve our understanding about the effects of sulphur and nitrogen inputs into ecosystems. The research methods are more intensive and than that of ICP Forests and are carried out within ecosystems in small hydrologically delineated catchments if possible.

Project aims

• to quantify the element fluxes into and out of the system
• modelling of the water and solute fluxes in the ecosystem on different scales
• to gain knowledge about the cause-effect relationships of sulphur and nitrogen loads

Methods

The methodology used in IM projects is described in detail in the IM manual which is available at the programme center. It is divided into mandatory and optional subprogramms which can be combined according to site conditions and research objectives.

The Swiss Contribution

Switzerland and the WSL has a long tradition of ecosystem research in hydrological basins. A century ago, research about the effect of forest cover on the water balance started in the two catchment Sperbelgraben and Rappengraben in Emmental. In the late 1970'ies long-term monitoring of the nutrient budget of several small subalpine catchment in Alptal started. Three of these catchments are now part of the National River Monitoring and Survey Programme (NADUF).
Since, research project on several purposes were carried in the Valley or are on-going, including research on a LWF-plot in Alptal. In the 1990'ies measurements according to the ICP-IM manual were carried out within a Spruce Forest in one of the catchments in Alptal and reported to the programme coordination centre. In 1994 the Swiss Long-Term Forest Ecosystem Research (LWF) Programme started.

Team

The measurements and observations of the Swiss contribution to the ICP IM has been carried out within various research and monitoring programmes and by numerous persons that are not all listed here:

• Peter Waldner (National Focal Point)
• Anne Thimonier
• Maria Schmitt
  
• Elisabeth Pannatier Graf
• Lorenz Walthert
  
• Patrick Schleppi
• Manfred Stähli
  
• Matthias Dobbertin
  
• Marcus Schaub

• Dr. Peter Waldner

  Organisational unit:	Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry Biogeochemistry
  Phone:	+41 44 7392 502
  Fax:	+41 44 7392 215
  Room:	Bi HP D 63
  E-Mail:
  Web:	http://www.wsl.ch/info/mitarbeitende/waldner