Eau des Rives, scientific analysis project
Source: Water, Snow & Ice Foundation
Bringing together private and academic scientific expertise, the Snow and Ice Water Foundation has decided to combat our unconscious bad habits that lead to the presence of micro-pollutants in Alpine lakes.
As a central action since 2020, the Foundation continues to finance and coordinate the various stages of the project. It should be remembered that this is an initiative of our Foundation to link different types of actions for the very first time in order to provide them with coherence and usefulness: scientific sampling of mountain water in contact with humans or not, analysis of micropollutants and different sources of pollution, then a sociological survey concerning the behavioural habits of users, and finally a proposal for a method in the field to avoid these sources of water pollution.
The sampling schedule, which has been slightly altered by COVID, will continue in 2022 and 2023.
PLASTILAC
| Searching for microplastics in high altitude sentinel lakes |
| All the samples in the sentinel lakes of the Alps were taken in 2021. The samples will be finished being analysed in late spring 2022. It takes about one day of analysis work for a single sample. Samples from the high lakes will continue to be taken in 2022 in order to continue the analyses over time and to be able to compare developments. > More information |
CLEANMONTBLANC
| Searching for microplastics in all forms of water in Mont Blanc |
| Samples have been taken from the 18 glaciers, peaks and related rivers of Mont Blanc. 50% of the samples have been analysed. About 25 samples remain to be analysed by the summer of 2022. A second round of sampling is planned for 2022. > More information |
URBAN LAKES
| Sampling in various forms every two months in Lake Annecy and Lake Bourget. |
| Sampling in various forms has taken place every two months since September 2021 (water column, surface, sediment and atmospheric deposition) in Lake Annecy and Lake Bourget. Sampling will continue in 2022 at the same rate. The analyses of these samples will focus on microplastics. Sampling for analyses of hydrocarbons present in the water of these lakes is also planned. Another collection method is being developed in connection with a very specific, historical and educational support... but we won't tell you more, it will be the subject of the next news! Analyses on sunscreen residues (only chemical filters in 2022) are also planned in 3 steps (before, during and after the summer season). These samples will be combined with a sociological survey on the behaviour and uses of boaters. |