Scientists' Contributions  
   

The UN/ECE ICP Vegetation programme: An international project monitoring ozone effects on vegetation and the heavy metal content of mosses

Harry Harmens1, Gina Mills1, Brian Reynolds1 and Ake Ruehling2

1ICP Vegetation Coordination Centre, CEH Bangor, UK

2University of Lund, Ecology Building, Sweden

    The UN/ECE ICP Vegetation* is an international cooperative programme involving scientists from 28 European countries plus Canada and the USA. The overall aim is to provide information to the Working Group on Effects of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution on the gaseous pollutants and particulates that either influence or are deposited on vegetation per se, or lead to a health risk through the consumption of contaminated crops. Ozone and heavy metals are the main pollutants currently being considered, although nitrogen pollution is also of concern.

    This paper describes the work of the ICP Vegetation and reviews some of the recent results. First, the use of ozone-sensitive and -resistant biotypes of white clover (Trifolium repens cv Regal) as biomonitors of the effects of ambient ozone episodes will be considered. These results show that ozone episodes cause injury to the sensitive biotype of clover at almost all sites in Europe every year, including those in northern Europe. Ozone effects on biomass are less frequent, and models suggest that the biomass response to ozone is mainly influenced by temperature and NOx. The uses by the Convention of these, and other results from ozone-effect modelling, will be described. Secondly, the recent transfer of the European heavy metals in mosses survey to the ICP Vegetation will be summarised. This programme was established by Professor Ruhling, Sweden, and has involved the sampling of mosses from up to 8000 sites in Europe every five years for the past 20 years. The plans for analysis of the data from the 2000/01 survey will be outlined, together with the proposed uses of the data for the further development of the UN/ECE Protocol on Heavy Metals.