Alpine farmers contribute to soil and water protection through site-adapted management practices using animals suited to alpine pastures. Grazing improves the grass cover and root penetration, which increases water retention capacity and reduces surface runoff. Extensive grassland, such as that found on alpine pastures, generally does not lead to any contamination of groundwater.
Atmospheric nutrient deposition is a crucial component of the nutrient cycle in alpine pastures. Accurate determination of atmospheric deposition is essential for addressing a wide range of ecological questions. At the Stoderzinken research station, nutrient inputs are quantified in a representative sample for the Northern Limestone Alps. Particular attention is paid to nutrient inputs that can occur in solid, liquid, and occult forms (dust, precipitation, and settled precipitation).
A recently completed study compared the chemical composition of precipitation samples from a bulk collector and a wet-only collector at an alpine pasture site over several years. The results show that for cations and anions that are not significantly degraded within a month, wet deposition is overestimated in the bulk collector. To quantify the impact of rain-borne nutrients on the ecosystem, a wet-only collector should be used, especially if the sampling interval extends beyond one week, as degradation processes begin, particularly for nitrate and sulfate.
Further details about the study can be found in the attached study.
