MONARPOP

monitors the alpine region for the "Dirty Dozen" (and other) of Persistent Organic Pollutants
analyses air, spruce needles, humus and soil
is a network of 40 sites, including 7 altitude profiles
involves local, regional, and national institutions
is a joint project of the EU, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland
is funded through national and EU means (within the framework of the Interreg III B programme "Alpine Space")

The international programme MONARPOP inventories persistent and other organic pollutants (POPs) in the alpine region.

Although the Alps are considered a major sink for long-range transboundary pollution by POPs, the extent of this pollution is far from being acknowledged.

POPs are a heterogeneous group of biologically harmful, mostly anthropogenic compounds. They de-grade slowly and accumulate in fat-containing sub-stances such as organic matter.

While some POPs are commercially produced, others are undesired by-products of industry, transport or domestic activities. Many POPs occur even in remote regions like the Alps, which form a distinct barrier for long-range atmospheric transport. Higher precipitation and lower temperatures increase the deposition of these compounds in mountainous regions. Preliminary measurements have revealed increasing levels of the chloropesticide hexachlorocyclohexane in spruce needles and forest humus in a remote Austrian altitude profile.

Coniferous woodland in the mountains receives partic-ularly high POP inputs: the rough canopy and waxy needle surfaces efficiently trap airborne POPs, and the soil contains much organic material to accumulate POPs from deposition and litterfall.

MAIN GOALS

MONARPOP monitors POPs and other organic pollutants with respect to their

long-range transport to remote alpine regions,
prevalent source directions,
loads within the alpine range, including regional differences,
variation with altitude,
present stocks, bound in forests of the alpine region,
possible biological effects.

The project further aims at providing information to decision makers and at establishing a tool for future assessments of the success of the POP Convention.

SCOPE

Chemically, MONARPOP focuses on most of the substances making up the "Dirty Dozen". (The screening includes PCB, PCDD/F, PBDE, PAH and various chlorinated organopesticides, like DDT.)

For sufficient spatial and altitudinal coverage, 40 remote alpine sites have been chosen in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. Seven of these are altitude profiles with several subplots to investigate the vertical variation of POP levels. Three well equipped sites above the timber line provide air and deposition data all year round.

METHODS

POPs inputs are examined by measuring their concentrations in air (with direction-specific active and with passive sampling devices), in deposition and needle samples. Present stocks of POPs in mount-ainous woodland ecosystems will be estimated from needle, humus and topsoil concentrations.

Needle extracts from selected sites are screened for detoxifying metabolic activities and dioxin-like effects.

FIND OUT MORE

www.chem.unep.ch/pops (UNEP on POPs)
www.pops.int (Stockholm-Convention on POPs)
www.unece.org/env/lrtap (Aarhus-Protokoll on long-range transboundary air pollution with POPs