Acidification in Norway the norwegian monitoring programme for long range transported air pollutants

Man-made emissions of sulphur and nitrogen in Europe is acidifying the precipitation in Norway. Extensive research activities in the seventies (the SNSF-project) clearly showed that acidification has a strong impact on the environment in Southern Norway. In order to further evaluate the cause-effect relationships and changes over time, a monitoring programme covering deposition, surface- and groundwater, soil, fish populations and invertebrates was initiated by the Norwegian Ministry of Environment. Intensive studies are performed in all regions of Norway by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), the Norwegian Forest Research Institute (NISK), Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) and the University of Bergen (UiB). The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT) is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the programme and the funding of air and water monitoring, while the Directorate for Nature Management (DN) is funding the monitoring of fish and invertebrates.