1.2 - INTERREG IIIB Alpine Space Programme

Aim
ALPNAP 2.1
Monitoring and Minimisation of Traffic-Induced Noise and Air Pollution
Along Major Alpine Transport Routes
ALPNAP provides new methods and knowledge to monitor and assess air pollution and noise along transit routes.
Emissions of air pollutants and noise from road and rail traffic
cause serious ecological pressure, impairment of life quality,
nuisances and contribute to health problems. The sensitivity
of the Alpine Space is often addressed, but arguments and
decisions still lack solid scientific background and a systematic
Alpine-wide cooperation of experts is missing. Increasing
traffic volume, new infrastructure, administrative measures or
modal shift will change the emissions.
Reliable environmental impact assessments suffer from the
fact that standard prediction tools have very limited applicability
in valleys. Innovative methods in selected areas, to quantify
the sensitivity of mountain regions to emissions in the valleys
and to demonstrate how traffic regulations can be designed to
meet standards as a function of real emissions and weather
will be applied. The project also aims at a durable Alpine-wide
network of experts and authorities, and an increased awareness
of the interaction between nature and human activities
in the Alps.
Inversion in the Adige valley
Activities
The main activity of the project consists of a coordinated and
integrated application of up-to-date science-based methods
and tools to determine the emissions of air pollutants and
noise, to collect measurements of the atmospheric state, concentration
and noise level, to simulate the meteorological situation,
the transport, dispersion and transformation of air pollutants
as well as the propagation of sound, and to assess the
impact on quality of life and health to local population. As an
innovation it will be possible to treat the interaction of topography,
meteorology, emission (both air and noise), transmission
and impact in a consistent way, which allows a cumulative
estimation of the adverse effects. This ensures a comparable
assessment of the consequences of traffic modifications with
respect to both air pollution and noise.
Meteorological and air pollution aspects will be tackled on dif-
ferent scales, ranging from local to Alpine-wide. Noise aspects
will be treated across the full valley and in sensitive spots.
The success of ALPNAP will be guaranteed by an intense co-
operation between the project partners and a close link to the
Alpine Space project MONITRAF (p. 42), in which transport
and environmental authorities are joined.
Outcomes and results
The project will result in a comprehensive report for the use in
decision-making authorities and consulting agencies.
It will comprise:
A description of available modelling tools (atmosphere - air
pollution - noise), how they can be applied to Alpine valleys,
their accuracy and their limitations
An assessment of the suitability of various indicators with
regard to its impact
An assessment of errors and possible systematic deviations
that might be encountered by using standard methods in
Alpine valleys
Examples of large-scale (whole cross-Alpine traverses:
Brenner and Frejus) and small-scale (inner valley locations)
simulated concentration fields of relevant air pollutants (e.g.
NOx, ozone, particles) as a function of emission scenarios
(traffic flow, traffic composition), time of the day and meteorological
situations
The project also intends to produce a brochure for the broader
public that will illustrate the basic relationship between nature
and human activities in the Alps and show the potential of the
current scientific methods.
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Lead partner
Project partner
Lead partner
Deutsches Zentrum für
Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Other partners
ARPA Piemonte
CETE Lyon
CSTB
IMK – IFU
ISAC – TO
MUI – IHS
TU GRAZ
Univ. di Trento
Univ. BOKU Wien
Univ. Innsbruck
Project website
www.alpnap.org
Contact person
Dietrich Heimann
Tel +49 (0)8153 28 2508
Fax +49 (0)8153 28 1841
dietrich.heimann@dlr.de
Duration
01.2005 – 12.2007
Total budget in EUR
1.989.478
ERDF in EUR
994.736
41
transport