Assessment Of Ozone Levels At Alpine Sites InNorthern Italy

Abstract

Increased tropospheric ozone concentrations are currently a matter of large concern, not only as a local problem in urban areas but especially as a regional one. Moreover comparison of old and recent data indicates that surface ozone concentrations in rural areas in Europe have doubled during the past 100 years. The great interest given to ozone levels assessment is due to its role in controlling the chemical composition of the troposphere and climate; furthermore recent studies liave been shown tliat elevated ozone concentrations can affect human health and vegetation. The largest mountainous region in Central Europe are the Alps, surrounded by heavily industrialised and densely populated regions, the Alps cover a wide area in Northern Italy, representing the greatest natural patrimony of this territory. Information about ozone levels is generally not easily available in mountainous terrain, even if ozone lias been mentioned as a possible cause of the decline of forests also in Europe. In literature data from the northern slope of Alps are available but only a few ones can be found about ozone levels in the southern part of this mountainous region. The aim of our research is to evaluate ozone levels and study the behaviour of ozone at higher altitudes in the Italian region of Central Alps. In tliis paper we will provide recent results obtained during different ozone monitoring campaigns at mountain locations analysing seasonal ozone levels, daily patterns, exceedances of the ozone guide lines and some episodes with high ozone concentrations. The stations are placed at altitudes between 800 metres a.s.l. and 1900 metres a.s.l., far away from local sources of pollution. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 21, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541