Alpine environments

Daccord G, Lenormand R (1987) Fractal patterns from chemical dissolution. Nature 325 41 3 Daccord G, Lietard O, Lenormand R (1993) Chemical dissolution of a porous medium by a reactive fluid, 2, Convection vs. reaction behavior diagram. Chem Eng Sci 48 179-186 Darmody RG, Thorn CE, Harder RL, Schlyter JPL, Dixon JC (2000) Weathering implications of water chemistry in an arctic-alpine environment, north Sweden. Geomorphology 34 89-100 Dijk P, Berkowitz B (1998) Precipitation and dissolution of reactive solutes in fractures. Water Resour Res 34 457-470... 

The POCs include, but are certainly not limited to the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the organochlorine pesticides, including those in current use, restricted use and historic use brominated flame retardants including polybrominated diphenyl ethers PAHs and the sometimes more toxic transformation products of these chemicals. Table 1 summarizes information on some of the POCs more commonly detected in alpine environments. 

An obvious correlation between polar and alpine environments is the decrease in temperature with increasing latitude or elevation. This temperature change leads to a shift in environmental phase distribution equilibria - i.e. a chemical moves from the atmosphere to terrestrial surfaces, including direct deposition to surface waters, but also to snowpack and soils from which movement into surface and groundwater is possible. This process has been termed cold condensation but should more correctly be called cold-trapping because the contaminants are not actually condensing. 

In order to understand how POCs travel from their sources to the waters of alpine environments, several studies have investigated air concentrations of POCs either at one high altitude location as a function of time or at different elevations of a mountain, providing vital clues to their behavior. The concentrations of POCs in... 

Over 100,000 glaciers are known from throughout the World many of these lie in alpine environments [10]. The surface of a glacier consists of an ablation zone... 

Egli, M. Fitze, P. Mirabella, A. (2001) Weathering and evolution of soils formed on granitic, glacial deposits results from chronose-quences of Swiss alpine environments. Catena 45 19-47... 

McCarroll, D. Viles, H. (1995). Rock-weathering by the lichen Lecidea auriculata in an Arctic alpine environment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 20, 199-206. 

Deserts and Alpine Environments. Advances in Geomorphology and Palaeoclimatology, dedicated to Professor Jurgen Hovermann on the occasion of his 80th birthday (pp. 59-79). Beijing China Ocean Press. 

Bliss, L. C. (1966). Plant productivity in alpine environments on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. Ecol. Monogr. 36, 125-155. 

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