Nitrogen multitemporal monitoring through mosses in urban areas affected by mud volcanoes around Mt. Etna, Italy

Nitrogen emissions were assessed by using mosses as bioindicators in a densely inhabited area affected by mud volcanoes. Such volcanoes, locally called Salinelle, are phenomena that occur around Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy), and are interpreted as the surface outflow of a hydrothermal system located below Mt. Etna, which releases sedimentary fluids (hydrocarbons and Na-Cl brines) along with magmatic gases (mainly CO₂ and He). To date, N emissions from such mud volcanoes have been only quantitatively assessed, and no biomonitoring campaigns are reported about the cumulative effects of these emissions. This study analyzed N concentrations in moss, water and soil samples, collected in a 4-year monitoring campaign. The bryophyte Bryum argenteum, a species widely adopted in surveys of atmospheric pollution, was used as a biological indicator. N concentrations in biomonitors showed relatively low values in the study sites. However, the results of this study suggest that N emissions from Salinelle may have an impact on surrounding ecosystems because N values in moss and water showed a significant correlation. N oxides, in particular, contribute to acidification of ecosystems, thus multitemporal biomonitoring is recommended, especially in those areas where N emitting sources are anthropogenic and natural.     

Characterization and source identification of airborne trace metals in Singapore

Airborne particulate trace metals have important health implications. As a consequence, their concentrations are increasingly monitored in many urban locations worldwide. In this study, fine atmospheric particles (PM(2.5)) were collected in Singapore over a period of 83 consecutive days during 2000, and analysed to determine the concentration of trace elements using ICP-MS. Altogether, eighteen airborne trace metals were quantified: Al, Ag, Ba, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Zn, V, Si, and Ti. While Li was the least abundant trace metal with a mean concentration of 0.2 ng m(-3), Zn showed the maximum mean concentration of 279.1 ng m(-3). Calculation of enrichment factors indicated that the elements Pb, Zn, Cd, V, Ni, Cr, and Cu were enriched by factors of 30 to 5000 relative to their natural abundance in crustal soil. The extent of metal pollution in the study area was assessed by comparing the measured concentrations to those reported in the literature for a selected number of urban sites in other parts of the world. Factor analysis was used to identify the major sources affecting particulate air pollution in Singapore. The sources that contribute to the loading of trace metal-bearing aerosols in the Singapore urban atmosphere include fuel oil-fired power plants, metal processing industry, land reclamation and construction activities, municipal solid waste incinerators, and traffic emissions.     

A Comparison Between Two Moss Species Used as Transplants for Airborne Trace Element Biomonitoring in NE Italy

Transplants of the mosses Hypnum cupressiforme and Pseudoscleropodium purum used as active biomonitors of airborne trace elements were compared in a survey carried out at Trieste (NE Italy). Twelve elements were considered: Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, Ti, V, Zn. Water-washed materials of H. cupressiforme and P. purum, collected in a remote area to prepare transplants, showed comparable content of all elements, excluding Pb. Transplants of P. purum showed a significantly higher accumulation of Al, Fe, Pb and Ti; higher levels of Cu and V were accumulated in H. cupressiforme. Losses of some elements occurred in some samples of both species; the most consistent losses regarded Cr and Mn. Accumulation data of Al, As, Cd, Hg, Zn found in the two transplanted sets were not correlated. Differences in element uptake in the two mosses are likely to depend mainly on morphology, and probably on the different forms of emission and deposition types of the elements. The two mosses showed an overall accordance in discriminating sites highly and scarcely affected by trace element depositions, although they accumulated some elements, in particular Hg and Zn, in different ways. P. purum proved to be a better accumulator than H. cupressiforme, showing similar or higher accumulation and lower loss of almost all elements, especially those related to particulate, dry depositions; H. cupressiforme could be effective in detecting large-scale patterns, related to wet depositions. These results indicate that these mosses cannot be used interchangeably for monitoring particular elements, and are able to provide complementary information on different, local and long-range deposition patterns.     

Use of tree bark for comparing environmental pollution in different sites from Buenos Aires and Montevideo

Multi-elemental profiles in bark of green ash trees collected in three representative areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, were assessed as potential air pollution indicators. Ten elements: Al, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emissions spectrometry from 70 samples collected in different environments: central, residential and rural (reference site), in order to compare spatial patterns of metal concentration. The samples used as a control were collected from a nature reserve situated far away from any significant influences, not even a nearby road. The reference site (RF) exhibited the lowest concentrations of Al, Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn. However, Ba and Mn showed similar concentrations in all measured sites. Magnesium is the only element that had a greater concentration in RF than at the other sites. Copper did not show any clear pattern. The Centre of Montevideo (MVD) showed higher concentrations of Al, Ba, Cr, Fe, Pb and Zn than the Centre of Buenos Aires (BA). In the A sectors, Montevideo (SAMVD) showed higher concentrations of Al, Cu, Mg, Ni, and Zn and lower concentrations of Ba, Cr, Fe, Mn, and Pb than Buenos Aires (SABA). In the B sectors, Montevideo (SBMVD) showed higher concentrations of Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn and lower concentrations of Cr and Mg than Buenos Aires (SBBA), but similar concentrations of Mn and Ni. The use of bark for biomonitoring metals allowed us to detect concentration differences related to the urban fabric and the different kinds of vehicles and their fuels. In the cities, the differences in metal concentrations detected in bark were more striking between the sectors than between centers, despite CBA being much larger than CMVD in population, extension and vehicular traffic.     

Identifying the origin of atmospheric inputs of trace elements in the Prades Mountains (Catalonia) with bryophytes, lichens, and soil monitoring

The biomonitors Hypnum cupressiforme and Xanthoria parietina were used to assess the deposition of trace elements and their possible origin in the Prades Mountains, a protected Mediterranean forest area of NE Spain with several pollution sources nearby. Al, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, and Zn were determined in 16 locations within this protected area. Soil trace element concentrations were also ascertained to calculate enrichment factors (EF) and use them to distinguish airborne from soilborne trace element inputs. In addition, lichen richness was measured to further assess atmospheric pollution. EF demonstrated to be useful not only for the moss but also for the lichen. Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn presented values higher than three in both biomonitors. These trace elements were also the main ones emitted by the potential sources of pollutants. The distance between sampling locations and potential pollution sources was correlated with the concentrations of Cu, Sb, and Zn in the moss and with Cr, Ni, and Sb in the lichen. Lichen richness was negatively correlated with lichen Cu, Pb, and V concentrations on dry weight basis. The study reflected the remarkable influence that the pollution sources have on the presence of trace elements and on lichen species community composition in this natural area. The study highlights the value of combining the use of biomonitors, enrichment factors, and lichen diversity for pollution assessment to reach a better overview of both trace elements’ impact and the localization of their sources.     

Trace element contamination in industrial regions of Poland studied by moss monitoring

The use of terrestrial mosses as biomonitors in large-scalemulti-element studies of heavy metal deposition from theatmosphere is a well established technique in Europe. Insuch studies it is advantageous to determine as many elements as possible in order to distinguish betweendifferent source categories. A combination of INAA and AAShas been found very useful in this respect, in particularwhen epithermal activation is used for instrumental neutronactivation analysis. A total of 33 elements (Al, Cl, Sc, V,Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Sb,I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Pb, Th, and U) inPleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. moss samples fromthe Silesia-Kraków Industrial Region and Legnica-GogówCopper Basin and from the control (background) area inNortheast Poland were identified. The highest concentrationsof the majority of trace elements were found in mossesgrowing in the Silesia-Kraków Industrial Region, only Cu andAs concentrations were higher in mosses in the Legnica-Gogów Copper Basin. These results are in conformity withthe load of trace elements emissions in these areas.     

Macro- and microelement distribution in organs of Glyceria maxima and biomonitoring applications

The content of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and of trace metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cd, Co and Ni) in water, bottom sediments and various organs of Glyceria maxima from 19 study sites selected in the Jeziorka River was determined. In general, the concentrations of nutrients recorded in the plant material decreased in the following order: leaf>root>rhizome>stem, while the concentrations of the trace elements showed the following accumulation scheme: root>rhizome>leaf>stem. The bioaccumulation and transfer factors for nutrients were significantly higher than for trace metals. G. maxima from agricultural fields was characterised by the highest P and K concentrations in leaves, and plants from forested land contained high Zn and Ni amounts. However, the manna grass from small localities showed high accumulation of Ca, Mg and Mn. Positive significant correlations between Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Co and Ni concentrations in water or sediments and their concentrations in plant indicate that G. maxima may be employed as a biomonitor of trace element contamination. Moreover, a high degree of similarity was noted between self-organizing feature map (SOFM)-grouped sites of comparable quantities of elements in the water and sediments and sites where G. maxima had a corresponding content of the same elements in its leaves. Therefore, SOFM could be recommended in analysing ecological conditions of the environment from the perspective of nutrients and trace element content in different plant species and their surroundings.     

Introduction of the Factor of Partitioning in the Lithogenic Enrichment Factors of Trace Element Bioaccumulation in Plant Tissues

Bioindicators are widely used in the study of trace elements inputs into the environment and great efforts have been conducted to separate atmospheric from soil borne inputs on biomass accumulation. Many monitoring studies of trace element pollution take into account the dust particles located in the plant surface plus the contents of the plant tissues. However, it is usually only the trace element content in the plant tissues that is relevant on plant health. Enrichment factor equations take into account the trace element enrichment of biomasses with respect soil or bedrocks by comparing the ratios of the trace element in question to a lithogenic element, usually Al. However, the enrichment equations currently in use are inadequate because they do not take into account the fact that Al (or whichever reference element) and the element in question may have different solubility-absorption-retention levels depending on the rock and soil types involved. This constrain will become critical when results from different sites are compared and so in this article we propose that the solubility factors of each element are taken into account in order to overcome this constrain. We analysed Sb, Co, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, Mn, V, Zn, Cu, As, Hg, and Al concentration in different zones of Catalonia (NE Spain) using the evergreen oak Quercus ilex and the moss Hypnum cupressiforme as target species. We compared the results obtained in rural and non industrial areas with those from the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. We observed differences in Al concentrations of soils and bedrocks at each different site, together with the differences in solubility between Al and the element in question, and a weak correlation between total soil content and water extract content through different sites for most trace elements. All these findings show the unsuitability of the current enrichment factors for calculating lithospheric and atmospheric contributions to trace element concentrations in biomass tissues. The trace element enrichment factors were calculated by subtracting the part predicted by substrate composition (deduced from water extracts from soils and bedrock) from total concentrations. Results showed that for most of the trace elements analysed, trace elements enrichment factors were higher inside the Barcelona Metropolitan Area than outside, a finding that indicates that greater atmospheric inputs occur in urban areas. The results show that the most useful and correct way of establishing a reference for lithospheric and atmospheric inputs into the plant tissues is, first, to analyse samples of the same plant species collected from a number of sites possessing similar environmental conditions (climate, vegetation type, soil type) and, second, to use this new enrichment factor obtained by subtracting from the total concentration in plant tissue the predicted contribution of soil or bedrock extracts instead of that of total soil or bedrock concentrations.     

Statistical distributions of trace metal concentrations in the northwestern Mediterranean atmospheric aerosol

The concentrations of 11 crustal and anthropogenic trace metals (Li, Al, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) were measured from 2006 to 2008 in the atmospheric aerosol at a northwestern Mediterranean coast (station of Cap Ferrat, situated on the southeastern coast of France). Statistical models (lognormal, Weibull, and gamma) that best represented the trace metal distribution for this environment are described. The lognormal model was selected for the distributions of (in decreasing strength of the fit) Al, Co, Li, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, and Cd, i.e., metals that are introduced into the atmospheric aerosol by pulses inducing temporal variability in their concentrations. The gamma model was associated with Fe, i.e., metals that exhibit less inter-annual variability than the former trace metals. The third mode (Weibull) represented the distribution of the concentrations of V and Ni. The statistical approach presented in this study contributed to better define and constrain the distribution of the 11 trace metals of the atmospheric aerosol from the northwestern Mediterranean coast. In a close future, knowledge of these statistical distributions will allow using convolution models to separate their natural and anthropogenic contributions, therefore increasing our ability to study anthropogenic emissions of trace metals and their impact on the environment.     

Metal Pollution Assessment of Sediment and Water in the River Hindon, India

The metal pollution in water and sediment of the River Hindon in western Uttar Pradesh (India) was assessed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The metal concentrations in water showed wide temporal variation compared with bed sediment because of variability in water discharge and variations in suspended solid loadings. Metal concentrations in bed sediments provided a better evaluation of the degree and the extent of contamination in the aquatic environment, Santagarh and Atali being the most polluted sites of the river. The ratio of heavy metals to conservative elements (Fe, Al, etc.) may reveal the geochemical imbalances due to the elevated metal concentrations normally attributed to anthropogenic sources. Metal/Al ratios for the bed sediments of the river Hindon were used to determine the relative mobility and general trend of relative mobility occurred Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd.     

Risk assessment of trace metals in an extreme environment sediment: shallow,hypersaline, alkaline,and industrial Lake Acıgöl,Denizli, Turkey

The major and trace element component of 48 recent sediment samples in three distinct intervals (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) from Lake Ac?göl is described to present the current contamination levels and grift structure of detrital and evaporate mineral patterns of these sediments in this extreme saline environment. The spatial and vertical concentrations of major oxides were not uniform in the each subsurface interval. However, similar spatial distribution patterns were observed for some major element couples, due mainly to the detrital and evaporate origin of these elements. A sequential extraction procedure including five distinct steps was also performed to determine the different bonds of trace elements in the <?60-μ particulate size of recent sediments. Eleven trace elements (Ni, Fe, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Co, Cr, Al and Mn) in nine surface and subsurface sediment samples were analyzed with chemical partitioning procedures to determine the trace element percentage loads in these different sequential extraction phases. The obtained accuracy values via comparison of the bulk trace metal loads with the total loads of five extraction steps were satisfying for the Ni, Fe, Cd, Zn, and Co. While, bulk analysis results of the Cu, Ni, and V elements have good correlation with total organic matter, organic fraction of sequential extraction characterized by Cu, As, Cd, and Pb. Shallow Lake Ac?göl sediment is characteristic with two different redox layer a) oxic upper level sediments, where trace metals are mobilized, b) reduced subsurface level, where the trace metals are precipitated.     

Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements in a Wild Grass Three Years After the Aznalcóllar Mine Spill (South Spain)

In this paper, we surveyed the concentration of nine trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl and Zn) in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) 3 years after the mine spill in Aznalcóllar (south Spain). The results were compared with those that had been obtained for the same species in a previous study, 18 months after the accident. Three types of soil condition were determined: i) unaffected soils (UN, control); ii) cleaned up and amended soils (A, amended); and (iii) non-amended soils, inaccessible to the clean-up and remediation operations (NA, non-amended). The trace element concentrations in the plants were lower than those reported in the first sampling for both washed (plant tissues) and unwashed plants (as consumed by herbivores). Apart from Cd, trace elements concentrations (plant tissues) were similar in the A and the UN soils. In the NA soils, the Cd, Fe, Mn, Zn and Pb levels in unwashed plants were excessive for animal consumption. This wild grass seems to be suitable as a soil stabilizer for spill affected soils and as a biomonitor for soil pollution by some trace elements (As, Cu and Zn); however, its potential for phytoextraction is negligible.     

Red sea corals as biomonitors of trace metal pollution

Red Sea corals have been found to be biomonitors of trace metal pollution. A comparative study was undertaken on three species from a polluted area near a desalination plant at Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and from an unpolluted area. The results show that corals take-up trace elements from their aquatic environment and thereby act to record changes in the composition of that environment. Variations in the composition of skeletons and soft tissues of corals have been correlated with changes in sea water composition. Three coral species, Porites lutea, Goniastrea retiformis and Pocillopora verrucosa have been analysed for Hg, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cd, V, Al, Cr, Mg, B, Ca, and Sr in both skeletal and soft tissues. Results show that corals in the polluted areas have significantly higher concentrations of trace elements compared to that of corals from unpolluted areas.     

Soil Contribution to the Elemental Composition of Epiphytic Lichens (Tuscany, Central Italy)

Total concentrations of Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sr, Ti, V and Zn in the epiphytic lichen Parmelia sulcata and superficial soils from 60 remote sampling sites in Tuscany (central Italy) were determined to evaluate the contribution of soil to the elemental composition of the lichen. The results showed that in the Mediterranean environment, the trace element content of unwashed lichen samples is greatly affected by soil contamination. However, despite the strong correlations between the concentrations of lithogene elements such as Al, Fe and Ti in P. sulcata, lichen levels of these elements were not at all linearly correlated with their concentrations in the soil, suggesting that dust contamination is highly variable and probably dependent on local site characteristics. All methods evaluated to minimize soil contamination indicated Cu, Pb and Zn as elements of atmospheric origin. However, while levels of Pb were similar to those reported for background areas, moderate pollution by Cu and Zn, probably from fertilizers used in agriculture, was revealed. For elements such as Cd and Mo, identified as atmophile, some uncertainty exists due to the fact that they are essential for lichen metabolism and accumulate intracellularly in lichens; they may therefore occur in soluble form in the lichen thallus.     

Assessment of trace elements in the shell layers and soft tissues of the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata using multivariate analyses: a potential proxy for temporal and spatial variations of trace elements

Concentrations of trace elements (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) were determined in the soft tissues (adductor muscle and gills) of the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata and surficial sediments from two sampling sites located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS). Moreover, the levels of Li, Mg, Al, Mn, Fe, Cu, Sr, Ba, Pb, and Zn were measured in two shell layers (prismatic and nacreous) using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). There were significant differences between the sampling sites with regard to mean concentrations of Cu, Mn, and Al in the prismatic layers of the shells. But in terms of the soft tissues, only in the case of Ni accumulation in the muscle significant differences between the sites could be observed. No significant differences could be found between the sites from the elements concentrations in the sediments point of view. The levels of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn in the gills were markedly higher than those in the muscle. Concentrations of Mn, Mg, Li, and Cu in the prismatic layer were significantly higher than in the nacreous but the reverse case could be found for Sr. The patterns of metal occurrence in the selected tissues, shell layers, and sediments exhibited the following descending order: Zn, Ni?>?Cd, Cu?>?V, and Pb and Zn, Ni, Cd?>?Cu, V, and Pb for muscle and gills, respectively; Zn?>?Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and V for sediments; Mg?>?Sr, Mn, Li, Al, Fe, Ba, Cu, Pb, and Zn for the prismatic layer; and Sr, Mg?>?Mn, Al, Fe, Li, Ba, Cu, Pb, and Zn for the nacreous layer. In most cases, the temporal variations of the elements levels in the prismatic layer were clearer than those in the nacreous layer (especially for Li, Mg, Mn, Pb, and Fe). Comparison of the gained data from this study with the other relevant researches shows that in most cases the levels of the elements in this investigation either fell within the range for other world areas or were lower. Generally, it can be concluded that the shell (especially prismatic layer) of P. radiata can be considered as a suitable proxy for temporal and spatial variations of the trace elements (and probably some environmental parameters) in the study area.     

Geochemical fractionation of trace elements in sediments of Hugli River (Ganges) and Sundarban wetland (West Bengal, India)

A sequential extraction procedure was carried out to determinate the concentrations of 11 elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in different geochemical phases of sediments collected along the Hugli (Ganges) River Estuary and in the Sundarban mangrove wetland, eastern coastal part of India. The chemical speciation of elements was determined using the three-step sequential extraction procedure described by the European Community Bureau of Reference. Total metal concentration was determined using a microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure. Metal concentrations were near the background level except for As for which a moderate pollution can be hypothesized. The mobility order of the metals was: Cd?>?Mn?>?Cu?>?Zn?>?As?>?Co?>?Pb?>?Ni?>?Fe?>?Cr?>?Al. The highest percentage of Cd (>60%) was found in the most labile phase. Residual fraction was prevailing for Fe, Cr and Al, while Pb was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. Data were compared with Sediment Quality Guidelines to estimate the relationship between element concentrations and adverse biological effects on benthic community, finding the possibility of some toxic effects due to the presence of As in the entire studied area and Cd, only in Calcutta.     

Biogenic and toxic elements in feathers, eggs, and excreta of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii) in the Antarctic

Feathers, eggs, and excreta of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii), adults, from Livingston Island (South Shetlands), chosen as bioindicators, were used to test the quality of the Antarctic environment. Sex was not examined. The bioaccumulations of toxic trace elements (Cd, Pb, Al, and As), essential trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, V, Ni, and Sr), and major essential elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, P, and S) were established. For the first time data about the element contents in Gentoo eggs is provided. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) there are differences in the metal levels among eggs and feathers; and (2) the element concentrations are highest in the excreta. The hypotheses were confirmed at 0.01-0.05 confidence levels. The concentrations of almost all trace elements were significantly higher in the feathers compared to those in the eggs. The following values of the concentrations ratio Fe/Zn were obtained: in the embryo, Fe/Zn = 1.5, and in the feathers, Fe/Zn = 0.5. The concentration of Pb in the embryo and excreta was below 0.4 μg/g, and Cd and As in eggs were below 0.05 and 0.3 μg/g, respectively. This indicates that there is no toxic risk for penguin offspring. Arsenic could be considered as a potential pollutant for Antarctic soil due to its relative high concentration in excreta, 5.13 μg/g. The present data (year 2007) were compared to the data for years 2002 and 2003. No trend of toxic element contamination was established. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As in representatives from the top of the food chain in the Antarctic (the present study) and Arctic (literature data) were compared. The data supports the hypothesis that there is an abnormality in cadmium levels in polar marine areas. Regarding Pb, the South Shetlands displayed 3-fold lower level compared to the Aleutians.     

Benthic foraminiferal response to trace element pollution—the case study of the Gulf of Milazzo, NE Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sediments of the Gulf of Milazzo (north-eastern Sicily) was investigated. Since the 1960s, this coastal area has been a preferred site for the development of two small marinas and a commercial harbour as well as for heavy industry. Forty samples collected in the uppermost 3–4 cm of an undisturbed layer of sediment in the littoral environment were used for this benthic foraminiferal analysis. The enrichment factors (EFs) of selected trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were also calculated. Changes both in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and in some trace elements concentrations have provided evidence that the gulf’s littoral zone can be subdivided into three sectors characterised by environmental changes in the marine ecosystem. In the sector unpolluted, close to the Milazzo Cape, foraminiferal assemblages exhibit high values of species richness and foraminiferal density while trace element concentrations and their EFs are very low. Here, the highest densities of Miliolids and epiphytic species are present. On the contrary, in the sector polluted, from the marinas to the crude oil refinery, foraminiferal density and species diversity are low, and assemblages are dominated, albeit with very low densities, by species that tolerate stressed environmental conditions, such as LOFAs, agglutinants and Ammonia spp. Here, the highest trace elements concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu and related EFs were detected. Eastwards, in the sector moderately polluted, foraminiferal populations are quite poor. They are characterised by low values of species richness and foraminiferal densities, nevertheless trace element concentrations become lower than in the other sectors and their EFs are often below 1. Deformed foraminifera, with percentages up to 7.14 %, were found in all three of the sectors. Differences in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, coupled with results from statistical analysis, indicate that anthropogenic trace element pollution could be considered as one of the most important causes of the modifications of foraminiferal assemblages in the study area.     

北京灰霾天气PM10中微量元素的分布特征

采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)对北京市2008年4月和5月不同采样点采集的灰霾天PM₁₀样品中的15种微量元素进行了分析,得出了Ti、Fe、Zn、Sn、Pb为全样样品中相对含量较高元素;Ti、Mn、Ni、Cu、Zn、Pb是水溶样样品中相对含量较高元素。与晴天相比,灰霾天样品中微量元素可溶性增强,对人体危害更严重。与2002年分析数据进行对比,因2002年缺少Cr、Cd元素的测试值,全样样品中除了Co、Ni、Cu、Mo元素外,其余测试元素的浓度均有不同程度的升高,Fe和Sn元素的增幅最大。水溶样品中,参与对比元素的含量均下降。文中对含量相对较高的Cr、Mn、Fe、Cu、Zn、Cd、Sn和Pb元素进行了源解析,分析得出采样点附近的交通源及地面扬尘是这些元素的主要来源。     

PASSIVE MONITORING OF TRACE ELEMENTS BY MEANS OF TREE LEAVES, EPIPHYTIC LICHENS AND BARK SUBSTRATE

Total concentrations of Al, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo and Zn in theepiphytic lichen Parmelia caperata, substrate bark andleaves of oaks (Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens)from a background area in Tuscany (central Italy) werecompared. The elemental composition of unwashed samples,especially bark, was clearly affected by soil dustcontamination, thereby leading to incorrect interpretations ofbaseline concentrations and relationships between elements.The normalization of total element concentrations to thesurface soil composition (digested and analyzed by the sameprocedures), using Al as reference element, gave more reliablebaseline values and allowed comparison between differentbiomonitors. The suitability of lichens, leaves and barks forstudying the environmental distribution of trace elements interrestrial ecosystems is discussed.