MAPPING THE IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC DEPOSITIONS ON HIGH ELEVATED ALPINE FORESTS

A multimedia approach is presented to evaluate the atmospheric impact on Alpine forests in Switzerland. The aim of this approach is the dete rmination of anthropogenic air pollutants leading to wet and dry depos itions in an area along the Sankt Gotthard transect crossing the Alps in the North-South direction and to evaluate the possible changes in t he soil chemistry. This approach takes into account the historical dev elopment of the emissions in order to calculate the depositions back t o the beginning of this century and is spatially resolving to realise the mapping of critical levels and loads. The deposition model is supp lemented with a soil model in order to calculate the future developmen t of the forest soil. It is shown that a sustainable development of th e Alpine ecosystems under consideration is only possible on condition of a 60% reduction of nitrogen and sulphur deposition. Copyright (C) 1 996 Elsevier Science Ltd