ELEMENTAL CONCENTRATION IN DEPOSITED DUST ON URBAN TREE LEAVES DEPENDING ON APPLIED WASHING METHOD

In our study, the concentrations of elements were determined in leaves and deposited dust of Quercus robur and Celtis occidentalis which were washed with distilled water, rainwater and tap water. According to our results, each washing solutions had a significant effect on the elemental concentrations in the foliage dust. The highest concentrations of aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc were detected in the foliage dust which was washed down with rainwater. The highest strontium and barium concentrations were found in the foliage dust which was washed down with tap water. We observed chromium and manganese accumulation in Q. robur leaves, while the concentrations of barium, copper and strontium were the highest in C. occidentalis leaves. Our results demonstrated the effect of rainwater on tree leaves which phenomenon occurs naturally. Rainwater may wash down the dry deposited foliage dust from the leaf surface, but it also delivers a certain concentration of elements through wet deposition

A klorofill tartalom meghatározás módszertani és gyakorlati alkalmazásának lehetőségei a légszennyezettség becslésében

Vizsgálataink során falevelek klorofill tartalmát határoztuk meg, egyrészt a minták előkészítésekor tesztelve különböző lemosó elegyeket (desztillált víz, csapvíz, esővíz). Továbbá a légszennyezés hatását vizsgáltuk Debrecenben egy urbanizációs gradiens mentén (urban, suburban és rural területeken) a különböző fafajok leveleinek klorofill tartalmára.MSc/MAKörnyezettudományg

Pollution Assessment Based on Element Concentration of Tree Leaves and Topsoil in Ayutthaya Province, Thailand

Atmospheric aerosol particles containing heavy metal contaminants deposit on the surface of plant leaves and the topsoil. Our aim was to reveal the pollution along an industrial–urban–rural gradient (IURG) in the central provinces of Thailand. Leaf samples from Ficus religiosa and Mimusops elengi were collected along with topsoil samples under the selected trees. Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations were determined by ICP-OES in soil and plant samples. Soils were not polluted according to the critical value; furthermore, the elemental composition did not differ among the sampling sites of the IURG. The rural site was also polluted due to heavy amounts of untreated wastewater of the adjacent Chao Phraya River. Bioaccumulation factors of Ba, Cu, and Mn was higher than 1, suggesting active accumulation of these elements in plant tissue. Our findings proved that the deposition of air pollutants and the resistance to air pollutants in the case of plant leaves were different and that humus materials of the soils had relevant role in bioaccumulation of Al, Ba, and Cu. At the same time, the geochemical background, the source of pollution, and the local plant species greatly influence the metal content of any given environmental compartment

Use of Leaves as Bioindicator to Assess Air Pollution Based on Composite Proxy Measure (APTI), Dust Amount and Elemental Concentration of Metals

Monitoring air pollution and environmental health are crucial to ensure viable cities. We assessed the usefulness of the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) as a composite index of environmental health. Fine and coarse dust amount and elemental concentrations of Celtis occidentalis and Tilia × europaea leaves were measured in June and September at three sampling sites (urban, industrial, and rural) in Debrecen city (Hungary) to assess the usefulness of APTI. The correlation between APTI values and dust amount and elemental concentrations was also studied. Fine dust, total chlorophyll, and elemental concentrations were the most sensitive indicators of pollution. Based on the high chlorophyll and low elemental concentration of tree leaves, the rural site was the least disturbed by anthropogenic activities, as expected. We demonstrated that fine and coarse dust amount and elemental concentrations of urban tree leaves are especially useful for urban air quality monitoring. Correlations between APTI and other measured parameters were also found. Both C. occidentalis and T. europaea were sensitive to air pollution based on their APTI values. Thus, the APTI of tree leaves is an especially useful proxy measure of air pollution, as well as environmental health

Urban tree leaves' chlorophyll-a content as a proxy of urbanization

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Ecological Assessment of Particulate Material (PM5 and PM10) in Urban Habitats

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