Active moss biomonitoring for extensive screening of urban air pollution : magnetic and chemical analyses

In this study, active magnetic biomonitoring of moss for particulate air pollution and an assessment of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were performed for the entire metropolitan area of Belgrade. Two mosses, Sphagnum girgensohnii (a species of the most recommended biomonitoring moss genus) and Hypnum cupressiforme (a common moss in the study area), were used. During the summer of 2013, moss bags were exposed at 153 sampling sites, forming a dense network of sites. A type II regression model was applied to test the interchangeable use of the two moss species. Significantly higher levels of all measured pollutants were recorded by S. girgensohnii in comparison with H. cupressiforme. Based on the results, the mosses could not be interchangeably used in urban areas, except for the biomonitoring of Cu. Nevertheless, according to the relative accumulation factors obtained for both moss species, similar city zones related to high, moderate and low levels of air pollution were distinguished. Moreover, new pollution hotspots, omitted by regulatorymonitoring, were identified. The results demonstrate that moss magnetic analysis represents an effective first step for obtaining an overview of particulate air pollution before more expensive chemical analyses. Active moss biomonitoring could be applied as a pragmatic approach for optimizing the representativeness of regulatory monitoring networks

Leaves of common urban tree species (Aesculus hippocastanum, Acer platanoides, Betula pendula and Tilia cordata) as a measure of particle and particle-bound pollution: a 4-year study

Magnetic biomonitoring using tree leaves has been proven as a proxy for airborne particle matter (PM) pollution. Since the leaf entrapment of PM is species-specific, in this study, four tree species common in urban areas of Europe and wider (Aesculus hippocastanum, Acer platanoides, Betula pendula and Tilia cordata) were investigated to evaluate which biomonitor enables consistent 'signal' to particle and particle-bound toxic elements. The tree leaves were sampled in the central urban and suburban parks in Belgrade (Serbia) in May and September from 2011 until 2014. Magnetic PM fractions in the samples were quantified by saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) while the concentrations of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Magnetic and elemental measurements were considered in relation to regulatory PM10 data. Median leaf SIRM values of T. cordata, A. hippocastanum and A. platanoides (174, 140 and 123 x 10(-5) x A m(2) kg(-1), respectively) implied the considerable magnetic enhancement contrary to B. pendula (68 x 10(-5) x A m(2) kg(-1)). However, B. pendula leaves showed the significant correlation between SIRM and PM10 values (r = 0.75) and SIRM and element concentrations and significant spatio-temporal differences in SIRM/element content between the studied parks/years. These results recommend B. pendula as a valuable biomonitor of PM and the associated elements. Nevertheless, both the results (high SIRM values, the significant correlation between SIRM and PM10-r = 0.71) and literature findings (abundance, adaptability, PM removal efficiency) favour A. platanoides over B. pendula in magnetic particle biomonitoring

Elemental characterization of general aviation aircraft emissions using moss bags

In light of growing concern and insufficient knowledge on the negative impact of aircraft emissions on environmental health, this study strives to investigate the air burden of major and trace elements caused by general aviation, piston-engine, and turboprop aircraft, within the vicinity of Eskisehir Hasan Polatkan Airport (Eskisehir, Turkey). The levels of 57 elements were investigated, based on moss bag biomonitoring using Sphagnum sp., along with chemical analyses of lubrication oil and aviation gasoline fuel used in the aircraft's operations. Five sampling sites were selected within the vicinity of the airport area to capture spatial changes in the concentration of airborne elements. The study demonstrates that moss bag biomonitoring is a useful tool in the identification of differences in the air burden by major and trace elements that have concentrated downwind of the aircraft emission sources. Moreover, pollutant enrichment in the Sphagnum moss bags and elemental characterization of oil/fuel are in agreement suggesting that Pb, followed by Cd, Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, Fe, Si, Zn, Na, P, Ca, Mg, and Al are dominant elements that shaped the general aviation aircraft emissions