Book details:
Atmospheric Deposition and its Impact on Ecosystems
| Year: | 2002 |
| ISBN: | |
| Publisher: | Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium |
Proceedings of a symposium held in Tel-Aviv, Israel, on 5-6 June 2000, under the auspices of IUPAC
The atmosphere provides the transport pathway for substantial inputs into the environment of nitrogen, heavy metals, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides, and other persistent organic compounds (POPs). Atmospheric deposition may play a major role in the ecosystem dynamics, particularly in oligotrophic oceanic seas, terrestrial ecosystems, and inland freshwater bodies.
Hundreds of lakes and streams can no longer sustain life, while the threat to forests and watersheds in many parts of the world is fast growing. In estuarine ares, extra nutrients can cause eutrophication because of the large growth of algae populations and the subsequent oxygen deficiency when the dead algae material decomposes. In Israel, the fresh water Sea of Galilee, which supplies 35% of the Israeli water supply, is now showing a very unstable quality and it is likely that the large dust fall over the lake may exert a profound influence on the properties and behaviour of the lake in general and on the water quality in particular. In the Dead Sea area, ozone depletion was reported to coincide with an interaction of atmospheric oxidants with bromide at the Dead Sea salt pans.
The growing threats from atmospheric deposition and the increasing needs to expand our knowledge were behind the convening of the International Symposium. Papers were presented on: wet and dry atmospheric deposition; long and short range transport, ozone depletion, trace metals and organic pollutants; nitrogen and sulphur compounds and atmospheric dust. The following topics were highlighted:
- Atmospheric processes related to the Middle East Region and the regional influences of Europe and the Sahara on the local processes.
- Efforts which have been made to reduce, or control, the emissions to air of sulphur and nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds,and more recently, of metals and persistent organic compounds.
- The cycling of pollutants between atmospheric and the ecosystems compartments and new experimental techniques for flux measurements.
- Atmospheric deposition research conducted under international co-operations.
The Symposium was held in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 5-6, 2000 and broughttogether about 70 internationally recognised experts from USA, Europe,the Mediterranean Region, and Israel. The Symposium was organized withthe support of IUPAC, Israel Ministry of the Environment, Israel Ministry of Science, Israel Chemical Society and the Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, ARO. Some of the papers presented were compiled for publication, in this special 170 pg. proceedings volume.
An extra supply for free distribution has been printed. Interested scientists can request a copy free of charge, until the supply is exhausted > Contact René Van Grieken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. E-mail: vgrieken@uia.ua.ac.be<www.uia.ac.be/u/iupac>