Study on throughfall deposition in two north Italian forest sites (Valtellina, Lombardy)

Throughfall and open field deposition were sampled in two alpine forest catchments in Lombardy characterized by a different degrees of forest decline. The results of two years sampling revealed some interesting differences in the chemical composition of throughfall deposition between the two study areas. The higher concentrations of potassium, calcium, nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measured in the Alpe Culino throughfall samples, indicate that the phenomenon of foliar leaching is marked in the area and can be related to the greater forest damage. Large spatial variability of throughfall deposition fluxes within Alpe Culino forest was observed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.