Spatial distribution of PAH concentrations and stable isotope signatures (δ13C, δ15N) in mosses from three European areas – Characterization by multivariate analysis

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and N, C stable isotope signatures were determined in mosses Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. from 61 sites of 3 European regions: Île-de-France (France); Navarra (Spain); the Swiss Plateau and Basel area (Switzerland). Total PAH concentrations of 100-700 ng g-1, as well as δ13C values of -32 to -29‰ and δ15N values of -11 to -3‰ were measured. Pearson correlation tests revealed opposite trends between high molecular weight PAH (4-6 aromatic rings) content and δ13C values. Partial Least Square regressions explained the very significant correlations (r > 0.91, p < 0.001) between high molecular weight PAH concentrations by local urban land use (<10 km) and environmental factors such as elevation and pluviometry. Finally, specific correlations between heavy metal and PAH concentrations were attributed to industrial emissions in Switzerland and road traffic emissions in Spain

Heavy metals and nitrogen in mosses: spatial patterns in 2010/2011 and long-term temporal trends in Europe

Naturally-occurring mosses have been sampled across Europe to monitor the deposition of heavy metals and nitrogen from the air. This survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals since 1990 for heavy metals and since 2005 for nitrogen. In 2010/2011, mosses were collected at ca. 4,500 sites in 25 countries for heavy metals and ca. 2,400 sites in 15 countries for nitrogen. In general, the lowest concentrations in mosses were found in northern Europe for both heavy metals and nitrogen. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were often observed in south-eastern Europe, whereas the highest concentrations of nitrogen were found in parts of western and central Europe. Europe-wide the concentration of lead (77% decline), vanadium (57%), iron (52%) and cadmium (51%) has declined the most since 1990, whereas the concentration of copper has declined the least (11% decline). Since 1995, the concentration of arsenic and mercury has declined by 26% and 23% respectively. The nitrogen concentration in mosses has hardly changed since 2005

Recognition of Trace Element Contamination Using Ficus macrophylla Leaves in Urban Environment

Urban areas are characterized by numerous pollutants emitted by anthropic sources both in the form of solid and gaseous particulates. Biomonitoring is an easy, economical, and accessible approach for the determination of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, we used the leaves of Ficusmacrophylla Desf. ex Pers., collected in the city of Palermo (Italy), to determine major and trace elements. Geogenic elements exhibited the highest concentrations, making up 99% of the weight of the analyzed elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, S, Na, Fe, and Al); they range 21,400 (Ca) to 122 µg g-1 (Al). The remaining elements showed median concentrations in the range 47.5-0.05 µg g-1 in the following order of abundance: Sr &gt; Cu &gt; Mn &gt; Zn &gt; Br &gt; Rb &gt; Ba &gt; Pb &gt; Cr &gt; Sb &gt; As &gt; Mo = Sc. Cluster analysis, with Spearman's coefficient to measure sample similarity, identified five main groups, namely, three clusters related to the geogenic background and marine spray; one cluster linked to elements essential to plants, and a final group attributed to the influence of traffic emissions. Calculated enrichment factors (EF) showed that the enrichments found for P and K were linked to plant metabolism; Na and Mg confirmed the role of sea spray; Cu and Zn underlined the contribution linked to anthropic processes and the role of micronutrients in plants.. As, Cr, and Mo had EF values ranging from 10 and 20, and Sb had EF &gt; 90. From geochemical distribution maps of As, Cr, Mo, and Sb it was observed that metal and metalloid concentrations were higher in urban areas and immediately decreased as one moved away from these areas. Local pollution sources play a great role in trace element concentrations in airborne particulate matter. The present study confirms that Ficusmacrophylla leaves are suitable for screening an urban environment to identify concentrations of inorganic chemicals, since they have high tolerance to pollution

Macroinvertebrates, Heavy Metals and PAHs in Urban Watercourses

Good quality stream water and sediments are crucial for the support of healthy stream flora and fauna but urban runoff degrades watercourses leaving a legacy of pollution in the stream sediments. The sediment pollution load influences the development of macroinvertebrates which, as the lowest member of the food chain, influences the whole ecological structure. This review focuses on defining the sources and impacts of zinc, nickel, copper and oil derivative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants in urban runoff. The impact of pollutants as measured by laboratory, field and modelling procedures are considered. Land use, position and connectivity of the runoff and sediment are seen to have an effect on the ecological integrity of the watercourse but case examples are sparse. The literature indicates that while reduced species diversity has been identified at a number of sites the dynamics are not well understood nor well modelled. These results are compared with field evidence from a study of 62 headwater streams with urban industrial and motorway land uses. From the review and field results it is evident that there is still an important need for process-based field measurements of urban water quality parameters. Forecasting the ecological status of watercourses would seem to benefit from data on sediment chemistry that considers the interaction effects of metals and PAHs

Application of magnetic biomonitoring in air pollution research : Spatio-temporal properties of magnetic particle matter

Air quality has a significant impact on the comfort of the cities and the health of humans, other organisms, and the whole environment. The implementation of air quality legislation requires continuous measurements. The direct air pollution measurements using air quality monitoring stations and the air pollution dispersion models suffer from poor spatial representativeness. Consequently, local scale variation in pollution levels and pollution sources can easily remain undetected. In this thesis, the air pollution research is conducted using magnetic biomonitoring. The focus is on the omnipresent iron-bearing mineral particles and heavy metals bound to them. Magnetic biomonitoring combines the methods of traditional biomonitoring and enviromagnetic research. It is useful for the identification of pollution or emission sources and routes, for determining the magnetic particle matter (PM) sizes, and for constructing spatially representative pollution maps. This thesis investigates the spatio-temporal properties of anthropogenic magnetic particle matter. The samples were collected from industrial and urban environments in southwest (SW) Finland using the active moss bag technique as the main sampling method. The thesis evaluates the applicability of magnetic (bio)monitoring for enhancing the representativeness of air quality assessments, and establishes the basis for its application, particularly in mid-latitudes with seasonal variation. The study indicates that active biomonitoring is a powerful tool for enhancing the spatial accuracy of air quality assessments and for evaluating the spatial representativeness of air quality monitoring stations. Both industrial and urban environments benefit from magnetic screening. The joint use of spatially representative sampling networks as well as magnetic, micro-morphological, and chemical research methods provide quantitative air pollution data, and also guide, for example, the identification of emission sources and pollution impact areas. Magnetic air pollution monitoring with the active moss bag technique is shown to be more applicable than the examined epiphytic lichen or snow samples. The four-seasoned year, which is typical for mid-latitudes, sets limitations on the application of biomonitoring for air quality assessments. Autumn and winter are suggested as the most representative seasons for obtaining a general assessment of the air quality using the moss bag technique.Ilmanlaadulla on merkittävä vaikutus kaupunkien viihtyisyyteen sekä ihmisten, muiden organismien ja koko ympäristön terveyteen. Ilmanlaatua koskevan lainsäädännön toimeenpano vaatii jatkuvia mittauksia. Ilmansaasteiden suorat mittaukset ilmanlaadun mittausasemilla ja ilmansaasteiden leviämismallit kärsivät heikosta alueellisesta edustavuudesta. Tämän seurauksena paikallinen vaihtelu ilmansaasteiden tasoissa ja lähteissä jää helposti huomaamatta. Tässä väitöskirjassa ilmansaasteiden tutkimus on toteutettu magneettisella biomonitoroinnilla. Työ keskittyy kaikkialla läsnä oleviin rautapitoisiin mineraalipartikkeleihin ja niihin sitoutuneisiin raskasmetalleihin. Magneettinen biomonitorointi yhdistää perinteisen biomonitoroinnin ja ympäristömagneettisen tutkimuksen menetelmät. Se on käyttökelpoinen saasteiden tai päästöjen lähteiden ja reittien tunnistamisessa, magneettisten partikkelien koon määrittämisessä sekä alueellisesti edustavien saastekarttojen rakentamisessa. Tämä väitöskirja tutkii ihmisperäisten magneettisten partikkelien alueellis-ajallisia ominaisuuksia. Aineisto on kerätty teollisuus- ja kaupunkiympäristöistä Lounais-Suomesta käyttämällä näytteenkeruun päämenetelmänä aktiivista sammalpallotekniikkaa. Väitöskirja arvioi magneettisen (bio)monitoroinnin käyttökelpoisuutta ilmanlaadun arviointien edustavuuden lisäämisessä ja luo perustan menetelmän käyttämiselle erityisesti lauhkealla ilmastovyöhykkeellä, jossa on vuodenaikaista vaihtelua. Työ osoittaa, että aktiivinen biomonitorointi on tehokas työkalu ilmanlaadun arviointien alueellisen tehokkuuden lisäämisessä sekä ilmanlaadun mittausasemien alueellisen edustavuuden tarkastelussa. Teollisuus- ja kaupunkiympäristöt hyötyvät magneettisesta seulonnasta. Alueellisesti edustavien näyteverkostojen ja magneettisten, mikro-morfologisten sekä kemiallisten tutkimusmenetelmien yhteiskäyttö tuottaa kvantitatiivista dataa ilmansaasteista ja ohjaa, esimerkiksi, päästölähteiden ja päästöjen vaikutusalueiden tunnistamista. Ilmanlaadun magneettinen monitorointi aktiivisella sammalpallotekniikalla on osoittautunut käyttökelpoisemmaksi kuin työssä testatut jäkälä- ja luminäytteet. Keskileveyksille tyypilliset neljä vuodenaikaa asettavat rajoitteita biomonitoroinnin käyttämiselle ilmanlaadun arvioinneissa. Syksyä ja talvea suositellaan edustavimmiksi kausiksi sammalpallotekniikalle, koska niiden aikana ilmanlaadusta saa yleisemmän arvion.Siirretty Doriast

First survey of atmospheric heavy metal deposition in Kosovo using moss biomonitoring

Bryophytes act as bioindicators and bioaccumulators of metal deposition in the environment. The atmospheric deposition of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Zn in Kosovo was investigated by using carpet-forming moss species (Pseudocleropodium purum and Hypnum cupressiforme) as bioindicators. This research is part of the European moss survey coordinated by the ICP Vegetation, an International Cooperative Programme reporting on the effects of air pollution on vegetation to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Sampling was performed during the summer of 2011 at 25 sampling sites homogenously distributed over Kosovo. Unwashed, dried samples were digested by using wet digestion in Teflon tubes. The concentrations of metal elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) equipped with flame and/or furnace systems. The heavy metal concentration in mosses reflected local emission sources. The data obtained in this study were compared with those of similar studies inneighboring countries and Europe (2010–2014 survey). The geographical distribution maps of the elements over the sampled territory were constructed using geographic information system (GIS) technology. The concentrations of Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn were higher than the respective median values of Europe, suggesting that the zones with heavy vehicular traffic and industry emission input are important emitters of these elements. Selected zones are highly polluted particularly by Cd, Pb, Hg, and Ni. The statistical analyses revealed that a strong correlation exists between the Pb and Cd content in mosses, and the degree of pollution in the studied sites was assessed

Assessment of Spatial Variability of Heavy Metals in Metropolitan Zone of Toluca Valley, Mexico, Using the Biomonitoring Technique in Mosses and TXRF Analysis

This study is aimed at assessing atmospheric deposition of heavy metals using the epiphytic moss genera Fabronia ciliaris collected from six urban sites in the Metropolitan Zone of the Toluca Valley in Mexico. The concentrations of K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, and Pb were determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence technique. Results show that the average metal concentration decrease in the following order: Fe (8207 mg/Kg) > Ca (7315 mg/Kg) > K (3842 mg/Kg) > Ti (387 mg/Kg) > Mn, Zn (191 mg/Kg) > Sr (71 mg/Kg) > Pb (59 mg/Kg) > Cu, V (32 mg/Kg) > Cr (24 mg/Kg) > Rb (13 mg/Kg) > Ni (10 mg/Kg). Enrichment factors show a high enrichment for Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb which provides an evidence of anthropogenic impact in the industrial and urban areas, mainly due to the intense vehicular traffic and the fossil fuel combustion. Monitoring techniques in mosses have proved to be a powerful tool for determining the deposition of heavy metals coming from diverse point sources of pollution

The effect of sampling scheme in the survey of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals in Albania by using moss biomonitoring

The atmospheric deposition of heavy metals in Albania was investigated by using a carpet-forming moss species (Hypnum cupressiforme) as bioindicator. Sampling was done in the dry seasons of autumn 2010 and summer 2011. Two different sampling schemes are discussed in this paper: a random sampling scheme with 62 sampling sites distributed over the whole territory of Albania and systematic sampling scheme with 44 sampling sites distributed over the same territory. Unwashed, dried samples were totally digested by using microwave digestion, and the concentrations of metal elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and AAS (Cd and As). Twelve elements, such as conservative and trace elements (Al and Fe and As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn, Pb, V, Zn, and Li), were measured in moss samples. Li as typical lithogenic element is also included. The results reflect local emission points. The median concentrations and statistical parameters of elements were discussed by comparing two sampling schemes. The results of both sampling schemes are compared with the results of other European countries. Different levels of the contamination valuated by the respective contamination factor (CF) of each element are obtained for both sampling schemes, while the local emitters identified like ironchromium metallurgy and cement industry, oil refinery, mining industry, and transport have been the same for both sampling schemes. In addition, the natural sources, from the accumulation of these metals in mosses caused by metalenriched soil, associated withwind blowing soils were pointed as another possibility of local emitting factors

Evaluation of levels of atmospheric heavy metals in Ikeja Industrial Area of Lagos state Nigeria using Polytrichum commune as biomonitor

This study investigates the concentrations of some heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni and Cd) in moss plant Polytrichum commune collected at different locations within Ikeja Industrial Area, Lagos - Nigeria. The samples of the plant were collected randomly between September and November, 2018 at 10 different locations between 2 - 2.5 m high from unplastered buildings. The samples were properly cleaned from all the debris, weighed and digested with a mixture of HNO3 and H2O2 for 35 min. The concentrations of heavy metals were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results obtained, showed that the average concentrations of the heavy metals at Ikeja Industrial Area were: Zn 16.01944 mg/dm3, Pb 2.9485 mg/dm3, Cu 2.7843 mg/dm3, Ni 0.6653 mg/dm3 and Cd 0.095 mg/dm3 which reflects 71.16; 13.10; 12.37; 2.96 and 0.42% respectively with the most abundant pollutant heavy metal being Zn in all the sites while the least abundant was Cd. Similarly, the most polluted site was Manufacturing Production Limited (40.894mg/L; 18.1%), while the least polluted site was Kara.com.ng (9.891mg/L; 4.4%). The levels of heavy metals obtained are greater than the permissible limits prescribed by the Federal Ministry of Environment, European Communities and United Nations Environmental Programme. There was significant difference in the level of each heavy metal in the atmosphere of Ikeja Industrial Area (PV &lt; 0.05).The sequence of bioaccumulation and distribution follows the trends: Zn &gt; Pb &gt; Cu &gt; Ni &gt; Cd