Snow Algae and Air Pollution in the Krkonoe Mountains
Milena Kocianova1 and Helena Tursova1
The Krkonoe Mountains represent the Hercynian middle mountains of central Europe with a unique
landscape system of arctic-alpine tundra displaying affinities to both subarctic and high mountain
regions.
Although the intensive natural-historical explorations of this area have been carried out for nearly
200 years, the occurrence of snow algae was reported in 1976 for the first time. Since 1986 the
presence of snow alga Chlamydomonas nivalis has been validated on the polluted thawing margins
of the spring firn snow fields on open areas every year. The green, ochre, or pink spots (alga sp.
Chloromonas pichinchae) on the spring firn snow patches contaminated by dust and needles of
Picea abies appear rarely, while the colorless cryophilic fungus Chionaster nivalis is frequent.
The striking repeated occurrence of snow algae on the snow field margins contaminated by dust
pollutants (accumulated by meltwater) and severe increase of air pollutants since the late 1970s
suggest a possible interdependence of both these phenomena. The fir analysis demonstrates that
Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Fe, and SO42 are the most abundant elements of the snow with alga Chlamy-
domonas nivalis.
The contents of the pollutants in snow cover depend on the kind of precipitation and interaction of
precipitation with the tissue of trees. Two to four times higher concentration of pollutants in horizon-
tal precipitation (rime, icing) has been detected than in the snow profile. This phenomenon could
affect the occurrence of alga Chlamydomonas nivalis in the alpine area. The interaction of precipita-
tion with the tissue of trees (needles, wood) evokes different contents of chemical substances in
snow cover in a woody area compared to a free area and could affect the occurrence of alga Chlo-
romonas pichinchae.
Theoretical dependence of occurrence of snow algae on the pollutants can be proven or refuted only
by direct monitoring in coming years.
1 Administration
of the Krkonoe National Park, Dobrovskho 3, 543 11 Vrchlab, Czech Republic
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