scholarly journals Heavy metals and radionuclides concentrations in mosses from the region of Northern Greece

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Ch. Betsou ◽  
M. Frontasyeva ◽  
E. Tsakiri ◽  
J. Hansman ◽  
N. Kazakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Gamma Spectrometry ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition ◽  
Activity Concentrations ◽  
Moss Survey ◽  
European Moss Survey

Mosses can be used as biomonitors for investigating the atmospheric deposition of radionuclides and heavy metals. They receive most of their nutrients directly from wet and dry deposition. During the 2015/2016 European moss survey, ninety-five samples of Hypnum cupressiformeHedw. were collected in Northern Greece. They were analyzed to the content of heavy metals using INAA. The concentrations of 137Cs,40K, 7Be and 210Pb radionuclides were determined using gamma spectrometry. Differences have been observed in the activity concentrations between mosses collected from ground surface, rocks, branches and near roots. Finally, a high sampling density was achieved, providing information for the elemental and radionuclides deposition from the atmosphere to terrestrial systems over the region of Northern Greece.

Detailed Analysis of Sulphate and Nitrate Atmospheric Deposition Estimates at the Turkey Lakes Watershed

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (S1) ◽  
pp. s14-s25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Sirois ◽  
Robert J. Vet
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Seasonal Cycles ◽  
Nitrogen Species ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition ◽  
Total Deposition ◽  
Molar Basis ◽  
Daily Events ◽  
Turkey Lakes Watershed

Daily concentrations of sulphates and nitrates in air and precipitation were measured atthe Turkey Lakes Watershed from September 1980 until December 1984. The measurement data were used to estimate wet, dry, and total deposition of sulphates and nitrates to the watershed. Over the 4 yr, the annual values of total (wet plus dry) deposition ranged from 34 to 38 (± 15%) mmol∙m−2∙yr−1 for SO42− and from 38 to 47 (± 30%) mmol∙m−2∙yr−1 for NO3−. On a molar basis, the deposition of total NO3− exceeded the deposition of total SO42− by 19%. However, when converted to equivalents, total SO42− exceeded total NO3− by 68%. Dry deposition represented approximately 15 and 25% of the total deposition of SO42− and NO3−, respectively, to the watershed. Wet and dry deposition of sulphate and nitrate was found to be highly episodic, with the top 20% of daily events delivering 60–70% of the total sulphur and nitrogen deposition to the watershed. Statistically significant seasonal cycles were found in the concentration and deposition values of most of the sulphur and nitrogen species measured at the watershed.

scholarly journals Entwicklung der Schwermetall- und Stickstoffkonzentrationen in Moosen in Deutschland

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 (6) ◽  
pp. 340-346
Author(s):  
Stefan Nickel ◽  
Winfried Schröder ◽  
Uwe Drehwald ◽  
Annekatrin Dreyer ◽  
Markus Preußing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
The Other ◽  
Nitrogen Accumulation ◽  
Heavy Metal Concentrations ◽  
Transboundary Air Pollution ◽  
German States ◽  
Nitrogen Concentrations ◽  
Moss Survey ◽  
European Moss Survey

Development of heavy metals and nitrogen concentrations in moss throughout Germany Under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, moss samples have been collected in Europe every five years since 1990 and evaluated for the concentration of heavy metals (since 1990) and nitrogen (since 2005). This article uses the data of this European Moss Survey to geostatistically evaluate and map the spatial distribution and temporal development of the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) as well as nitrogen (N) for Germany. Since the year of first sampling in Germany (Cd, Pb: 1990, Hg: 1995), heavy metal concentrations in moss tissue have decreased, while nitrogen concentrations have been remaining at almost the same level since 2005. Since 1990, Cd and Pb have shown a consistent hotspot of bioaccumulation within a broad band from North Rhine-Westphalia to Saxony, while for the other regions and with regard to Hg for most regions of Germany the geostatistical analyses corroborate that the spatial patterns of element concentrations in moss are changing across time. With regard to N, North Rhine-Westphalia and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (2005–2015), as well as northwestern Germany (2015), proved to be a hotspot of nitrogen accumulation in moss. By contrast, the N concentration in mosses has decreased significantly in the southern German states, especially in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

scholarly journals Atmospheric wet and dry deposition of trace elements at 10 sites in Northern China

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 951-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Pan ◽  
Y. S. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Wet Deposition ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition ◽  
Zinc Cadmium ◽  
Lead Zinc

Abstract. Atmospheric deposition is considered to be a major process that removes pollutants from the atmosphere and an important source of nutrients and contaminants for ecosystems. Trace elements (TEs), especially toxic metals deposited on plants and into soil or water, can cause substantial damage to the environment and human health due to their transfer and accumulation in food chains. Despite public concerns, quantitative knowledge of metal deposition from the atmosphere to ecosystems remains scarce. To advance our understanding of the spatiotemporal variations in the magnitudes, pathways, compositions and impacts of atmospherically deposited TEs, precipitation (rain and snow) and dry-deposited particles were collected simultaneously at 10 sites in Northern China from December 2007 to November 2010. The measurements showed that the wet and dry depositions of TEs in the target areas were orders of magnitude higher than previous observations within and outside China, generating great concern over the potential risks. The spatial distribution of the total (wet plus dry) deposition flux was consistent with that of the dry deposition, with a significant decrease from industrial and urban areas to suburban, agricultural and rural sites, while the wet deposition exhibited less spatial variation. In addition, the seasonal variation of wet deposition was also different from that of dry deposition, although they were both governed by the precipitation and emission patterns. For the majority of TEs that exist as coarse particles, dry deposition dominated the total flux at each site. This was not the case for potassium, nickel, arsenic, lead, zinc, cadmium, selenium, silver and thallium, for which the relative importance between wet and dry deposition fluxes varied by site. Whether wet deposition is the major atmospheric cleansing mechanism for the TEs depends on the size distribution of the particles. We found that atmospheric inputs of copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and selenium were of the same magnitude as their increases in the topsoil of agricultural systems. At a background forest site in Northern China, the total deposition flux of lead observed in this study (14.1 mg m−2 yr−1) was twice that of the critical load calculated for temperate forest ecosystems in Europe. These findings provide baseline data needed for future targeting policies to protect various ecosystems from long-term heavy metal input via atmospheric deposition.

Balancing preservation of material and the need for analytical accuracy: Mass requirements of Sphagnum moss from herbarium collections for trace element analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Frost ◽  
Rene Belland ◽  
Iain Grant-Weaver ◽  
William Shotyk
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Trace Element Analysis ◽  
Standard Reference Materials ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Analytical Accuracy ◽  
Moss Survey ◽  
European Moss Survey

<p><em>Sphagnum</em> mosses have been used in some of the earliest works in biomonitoring of atmospheric deposition of trace elements (TEs). Since their adoption into the field the Sphagnaceae have become one of the foremost biomonitors. When taken as contemporary samples, these mosses have allowed us to identify spatial variations as well as trends and major changes in atmospheric deposition due to changing policy, technology, industry, and land use. While long term monitoring programs, such as the European Moss Survey, allow us to track these changes through time, these ongoing studies only reach as far back as their start dates. In the case of the European Moss Survey this was 1990. The use of materials already collected and archived in herbaria provides a low-cost method for retrospective analysis of atmospheric deposition of TEs. The critical advantage of herbarium specimens over other historical monitoring method is their high temporal resolution, as their exact collection date is known. Once collected, stored, and protected from atmospheric dust, the concentrations of non-volatile TEs present remain effectively unchanged. The oldest herbarium records can predate industrialisation, but most have records from the beginning of industrialisation, with the frequency of collection increasing in the modern era. Using only the top 2 cm of herbarium specimens of<em> Sphagnum</em> mosses (<em>S. fuscum, S. angustifolium, S. capillifolium, S. magellanicum</em>) found in Canadian ombrotrophic bogs, we will be creating historical reconstructions of atmospheric deposition in northern Alberta since the 1940s and southern Ontario since 1860’s. The first objective is to determine how best to balance preservation of the limited herbarium material available while also using sufficient material to achieve suitable levels of analytical accuracy. As TE analyses using ICP-MS are destructive and some specimens have immeasurable value from a natural history perspective, as little material as possible should be taken for analysis. Grinding of the sample was avoided, to minimize sample loss and the risk of contamination. We compared the measured concentrations obtained with ICP-MS as a function of the mass of <em>Sphagnum</em> digested, using selected herbarium samples as well as two certified, Standard Reference Materials (NIST 1515 and HB36-M2). These analyses allow us to determine the optimal amount of material necessary to balance the analytical accuracy and preservation of material of 4 species of <em>Sphagnum</em> mosses from Alberta over the last 80 years. The results will be compared with the data already available for TE concentrations in age-dated peat cores from the same region.</p>

scholarly journals Atmospheric wet and dry deposition of trace elements at ten sites in Northern China

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 20647-20676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. P. Pan ◽  
Y. S. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Wet Deposition ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition

Abstract. Atmospheric deposition is considered to be a major process that removes pollutants from the atmosphere and an important source of nutrients and contaminants for ecosystems. Trace elements (TEs), especially toxic metals deposited on plants and into soil and water, can cause substantial damage to the environment and human health due to their transfer and accumulation in food chains. Despite public concerns, quantitative knowledge of metal deposition from the atmosphere to ecosystems remains scarce. To advance our understanding of the spatio-temporal variations in the magnitudes, pathways, compositions and impacts of atmospherically deposited TEs, precipitation (rain and snow) and dry-deposited particles were collected simultaneously at ten sites in Northern China from December 2007 to November 2010. The measurements showed that the wet and dry depositions of TEs in the target areas were orders of magnitude higher than previous observations within and outside China, generating great concern over the potential risks. The spatial distribution of the total (wet plus dry) deposition flux was consistent with that of the dry deposition, with a significant decrease from industrial and urban areas to suburban, agricultural and rural sites. In contrast, the wet deposition exhibited less spatial variation. The seasonal variation of wet deposition was also different from that of dry deposition, although they were both governed by the precipitation and emission patterns. For the majority of TEs that exist as coarse particles, dry deposition dominated the total flux at each site. This was not the case for K, Ni, As, Pb, Zn, Cd, Se, Ag and Tl, for which the relative importance between wet and dry deposition fluxes varied by site. Whether wet deposition is the major atmospheric cleansing mechanism for the TEs depends on the size distribution and solubility of the particles. We found that atmospheric inputs of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As and Se were of the same magnitude as their increases in the topsoil of agricultural systems. In addition, the total deposition flux of Pb observed at a forest site in this study was twice that of the critical load (7.0 mg m−2 yr−1) calculated for temperate forest ecosystems in Europe. These findings provide baseline data needed for future targeting policies to protect various ecosystems from long-term heavy metal input via atmospheric deposition.

Identifying Sources of Sulfate Aerosols Reaching Whiteface Mountain, NY

1985 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 98-101
Author(s):  
James S. Webber
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Dry Deposition ◽  
Coal Combustion ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Sulfate Aerosols ◽  
Wet And Dry Deposition ◽  
Whiteface Mountain ◽  
Toxic Trace Metals

INTRODUCTION“Acid rain” and “acid deposition” are terms no longer confined to the lexicon of atmospheric scientists and 1imnologists. Public awareness of and concern over this phenomenon, particularly as it affects acid-sensitive regions of North America, have increased dramatically in the last five years. Temperate ecosystems are suffering from decreased pH caused by acid deposition. Human health may be directly affected by respirable sulfates and by the increased solubility of toxic trace metals in acidified waters. Even man's monuments are deteriorating as airborne acids etch metal and stone features.Sulfates account for about two thirds of airborne acids with wet and dry deposition contributing equally to acids reaching surface waters or ground. The industrial Midwest is widely assumed to be the source of most sulfates reaching the acid-sensitive Northeast since S02 emitted as a byproduct of coal combustion in the Midwest dwarfs S02 emitted from all sources in the Northeast.

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