title: Why air quality in the Alps remains a matter of concern. The impact of organic pollutants in the alpine area.
abstract: In the middle of Europe, the Alps form a geographical and meteorological trap for atmospheric pollutants including volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds emitted in the surrounding lowlands. This is due to their barrier effects, high precipitation rates, and low ambient temperatures. Also the pollutants emitted in the cities inside the Alps spread in the region depending on orographic and meteorological conditions. Although a number of studies on the distribution and effect of pollutants in the Alps has been published, comprehensive information on potential hazards, and ways to improve this sensible environment are lacking. This opinion paper is the result of a discussion during the Winterseminar of the AlpsBioCluster project in Munich. It summarizes the current literature and presents some case studies on local pollution sources in the Alps, and the possibility of using biomonitoring techniques to assess critical pollution loads and distributions.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Zentrum München, GmbH, Research Unit Microbe Plant Interactions, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany, peter.schroeder@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Belis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schnelle-Kreis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herzig
authors.forename: A S H
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Prevot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raveton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catinon
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D002947:Cities; D002980:Climate; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005602:France; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis; D013557:Switzerland; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
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