Linking chemical elements in forest floor humus (Oh-horizon) in the Czech Republic to contamination sources

While terrestrial moss and other plants are frequently used for environmental mapping and monitoring projects, data on the regional geochemistry of humus are scarce. Humus, however, has a much larger life span than any plant material. It can be seen as the “environmental memory” of an area for at least the last 60-100 years. Here concentrations of 39 elements determined by ICP-MS and ICP AES, pH and ash content are presented for 259 samples of forest floor humus collected at an average sample density of 1 site/300 km² in the Czech Republic. The scale of anomalies linked to known contamination sources (e.g., lignite mining and burning, metallurgical industry, coal fired power plants, metal smelters) is documented and discussed versus natural processes influencing humus quality. Most maps indicate a local impact from individual contamination sources: often more detailed sampling than used here would be needed to differentiate between likely sources.     

Impact of atmospheric deposition on the status of planted Norway spruce stands: A comparative study between sites in southern Sweden and the northeastern Czech Republic

Six Norway spruce stands (Picea abies L.) in southern Sweden and six in the northeastern Czech Republic, 12 stands in total, were selected for short-term investigations during the summer and autumn of 1991. In each of the plots, an assessment of foliar damage and dendrometric measurement of the trees was made. Soil and leaf samples were collected and analyzed for their chemical composition. After statistical evaluation of the most important correlations, it was concluded that the main cause of tree damage in both countries was through the acidification of the soils. In both countries, but especially in the Czech Republic, heavy metal accumulation in the humus layer was observed. The main results of the study were the discovery of the similarity of damage processes in the two countries, despite the differences in their geographic location and ambient air pollution levels     

Active moss biomonitoring of trace elements with Sphagnum girgensohnii moss bags in relation to atmospheric bulk deposition in Belgrade, Serbia

Active biomonitoring with wet and dry moss bags was used to examine trace element atmospheric deposition in the urban area of Belgrade. The element accumulation capability of Sphagnum girgensohnii Russow was tested in relation to atmospheric bulk deposition. Moss bags were mounted for five 3-month periods (July 2005-October 2006) at three representative urban sites. For the same period monthly bulk atmospheric deposition samples were collected. The concentrations of Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were determined by instrumental neutron activation analyses and atomic absorption spectrometry. Significant accumulation of most elements occurred in the exposed moss bags compared with the initial moss content. High correlations between the elements in moss and bulk deposits were found for V, Cu, As, and Ni. The enrichment factors of the elements for both types of monitor followed the same pattern at the corresponding sites.     

Screening of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in selected riverine sediments and sludge from the Czech Republic

Wide distribution of chlorinated paraffins in the environment has already been demonstrated in several studies; however, information about their levels in the Central Europe is still very limited. First study focused on the SCCP contamination of the Czech aquatic environment have been performed recently, and its results motivated the authors to analyze sediments from a wide set of the Czech rivers in order to obtain more detailed information. Thirty-six sediment samples from eleven rivers and five drainage vents neighboring the chemical factories were analyzed; special attention was paid to the industrial areas. For the first time in the Czech Republic, medium-chain in addition to short-chain chlorinated paraffins were analyzed using GC-ECNI-MS. Chlorinated paraffins were detected in sediment samples on the concentration levels up to 347 ngg(-1) for short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and 5575 ngg(-1) for medium-chain chlorinated paraffins. Average chlorination degree of SCCPs was 65%.     

Atmospheric trace metal pollution in the Naples urban area based on results from moss and lichen bags

The results of trace element content analysed in Sphagnum capillifolium and Pseudevernia furfuracea exposed in bags in 1999 are reconsidered to evaluate the reliability of moss and lichen transplants to detect urban trace element atmospheric pollution, using Naples as a case example. After 4 months' exposure, trace element concentrations were at least twice as high as the pre-exposure values and in general higher in Sphagnum than in Pseudevernia. Moss samples were enriched in the following order: As=Cu>Mo>Pb>V>Co>Cr>Zn; lichen samples in the order: Mo>Cu>As=Co=Ni>V>Pb. Based on the calculation of a cumulative load factor, all sites located along the coast had higher trace element loads compared to sites in the hilly inland area. Complementary SEM, TEM and EDS observations showed, despite significant damage to tissue and cell integrity, the recurrent presence of particulate matter in moss and lichen, indicating the considerable presence of dust in the urban atmosphere which, according to chemical composition, may be due both to anthropogenic and natural sources such as volcanic rock and soil and sea salts.     

Response of mosses to the heavy metal deposition in Poland--an overview

Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) in Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt., a common moss species, were used to indicate relative levels of atmospheric deposition in Poland in the years 1975-1998. Spatial and temporal differences in the heavy metal concentrations in mosses were found. The highest concentration of heavy metals was recorded in the moss samples from the southern, most industrialised part of the country, and the lowest from north-eastern Poland. A significant decrease of heavy metals over 20 years (1975-1998) was found.     

A comparison of indigenous mosses and topsoils for use in monitoring atmospheric heavy metal deposition in Galicia (northwest Spain)

Samples of moss (Scleropodium purum or, in its absence, Hypnum cupressiforme) and of topsoil (0-5 cm) were collected in the spring of 1995, from 75 sites distributed throughout Galicia (northwest Spain) in order to compare the potential usefulness of each in evaluating the atmospheric deposition of contaminants. Analysis was made of the total content of various metals in the moss and of different soil metal fractions (including total metal content, labile metals and metals bound to organic material). We found that the labile fraction most closely resembled the metal content of the moss. Calculation of enrichment factors allowed us to show that the soil was not, except in the case of Cr, the main source of contamination in the moss. By comparing contamination factors of metals in moss and soil fraction samples we found that moss samples were more useful for evaluating the degree of contamination at different sites.     

Estimation of metal uptake efficiencies from precipitation in mosses in Lithuania

The main sources contributing to heavy metal content in mosses in Lithuania were examined by a comparison of heavy metal concentrations in moss and corresponding deposition levels calculated from bulk deposition analysis. Bulk deposition was collected in open areas as well as under the canopy of trees. Uptake efficiencies in moss were calculated for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, V and Zn. All elements in moss except Pb and Cd appeared to be more or less influenced by sources other than air pollution. The general order of this influence on the heavy metal content in moss was observed as follows: Ni < V < Cr < Zn < Fe < Mn. The contents of Mn and Zn in moss were greatly influenced by leaching from the canopy while Pb was the only element which showed a net metal retention by the canopy. Concentrations of Fe and Cr in moss were dominating due to contribution from soil dust.     

Phytotoxicity tests of solid wastes and contaminated soils in the Czech Republic

Background, aim, and scope  

The purpose of this study was to compare the suitability of different phytotoxicity testing procedures for the evaluation of toxicity associated with both soil contamination and solid wastes, both of which can be of environmental risk to plants. Ten different representative types of contaminated soils and solid waste samples were chosen from the Czech Republic.     

The use of mosses and pine needles to detect persistent organic pollutants at local and regional scales

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analysed in mosses (Hypnum cupressiforme) and pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) collected in the Czech Republic between 1988-94 at a regional background site in Kosetice, south Bohemia (1988-94) and two industrial sources. One industrial site (sampled 1989-91) in middle Moravia, was near a factory producing PAHs, carbon black and phthalates, the other (sampled 1991-93) near a coal and gas fuel production plant in western Bohemia. Selected chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl congeners were also analysed in samples at the regional background site. This study clearly shows that vegetation sampling can be used to show spatial differences in the atmospheric burden of a range of persistent organic pollutants with differences in the mixtures of compounds reflecting differences in their regional or local use/atmospheric emission.     

Analysis of short chain chlorinated paraffins in sediment samples from the Czech Republic by short-column GC/ECNI-MS

Top layer sediment samples from the Czech Republic were analyzed to obtain the preliminary information about contamination of the region by chlorinated paraffins. Sediment samples from three locations with different industrial discharges were taken over the period of 2 years. The analysis was performed by short-column gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry (SCGC/ECNI-MS). Short chain chlorinated paraffin sediment concentrations varied between 24.00 and 45.78 ng g(-1) (dry weight, d.w.) in the Kosetice area, 16.30-180.75 ng g(-1) (dry weight) in the Zlín area and 4.58-21.57 ng g(-1) dry weight in the Beroun area. Highly chlorinated undecanes prevailed in the samples. On the basis of these results, more detailed studies should be conducted to determine the magnitude and extent of chlorinated paraffin contamination in these regions.     

Serum concentrations of indicator PCB congeners in the Czech adult population

In 2006, levels of seven indicator polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCB28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) in blood serum of 202 blood donors residing for more than 2 years in five urban areas included in the Czech Human Biomonitoring project were measured by GC/MS/MS method. PCB congeners 138, 153 and 180 accounted for about 97% of the sum of the indicator congeners analyzed. Overall, the median and 95th percentile of the most abundant congener PCB 153 were 438 ng/g lipid and 1079 ng/g lipid, respectively. The highest median levels were found in Uherské Hradiste (669 ng/g lipid) and Ostrava (672 ng/g lipid in males compared to 341 ng/g lipid in females). Serum PCB concentrations were significantly associated with age, gender, place of residence and smoking habit, but not with body mass index and education. The results suggest the importance of PCB body burden in the Czech general population and the existence of hot spots.     

Bags with oven-dried moss for the active monitoring of airborne trace elements in urban areas

To define a harmonized methodology for the use of moss and lichen bags as active monitoring devices of airborne trace elements in urban areas, we evaluated the element accumulation in bags exposed in Naples in different spring weather conditions for 6- and 12-weeks. Three different pre-exposure treatments were applied to moss and lichen materials: water-washing, acid-washing and oven-drying. During the different exposure periods in the Naples urban environment the moss accumulated always higher amounts of elements (except Hg) than lichens and the element accumulation increased during wetter weather and higher PM₁₀ conditions. The oven pre-treatment did not substantially modify the morphology and element composition of moss and the exposure in bags of this material for 6-weeks was sufficient to detect the pattern of airborne trace elements.     

Residues of organochlorinated pesticides in soils from the Czech Republic

National POPs inventories carried out currently in many countries as a part of the implementation of Stockholm Convention revealed the need for detailed information about a distribution of pollutants in various regions. Screening for the residues of selected organochlorinated pesticides (chlordane, heptachlor, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, isodrin, endosulfan I, endosulfan II, methoxychlor, mirex) in soil and biotic samples from the Czech Republic was performed. Although these pesticides have never been used in large quantities in this region, results indicate that their residues still persist in the top layer soils more than 20 years after they have been banned. The fact that their soil concentrations in the mountains are generally higher than those in agricultural areas, and detection of the traces of pesticides that have never been used in this region suggest on their occurrence in soils due to the atmospheric redistribution rather than as a result of direct application.     

Persistent organic pollutants in moss as bioindicators of atmospheric pollution in Singapore

Moss samples were collected from the island of Singapore and analysed for a range of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Although all compounds analysed have been banned from use in Singapore, they were detected in all samples collected. Among the hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), beta-HCH was the most dominant isomer, while trans-chlorane was found to be the most dominant cyclodiene pesticide. High levels (79.12 ng g(-1)) of PCBs were detected in mosses collected from a nearby island due to active accumulation of pollutants associated with boat emissions. Significant spatial variations in the levels of organic pollutants in Singapore were largely absent, indicating that air masses moving over the island deposit OCPs and PCBs in a uniform pattern. A comparison of moss pollutant levels with available data from Czech Republic showed that dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) and PCB levels in Singapore are the highest. The presence of these compounds suggests that they are still used in the region and are environmentally recalcitrant.     

Environmental specimen bank samples of Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens as indicators of the radiation environment at the surface

Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. and Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp. samples from the Finnish Environmental Specimen Bank were used to study the UV-B-absorbing compounds as potential screens of the past radiation environment. The first series from southern and central Finland consisted of samples collected from 18 P. schreberi or H. splendens dominated sites in 1985 and 1995. The second series from four H. splendens dominated sites (two in southern and two in northern Finland) and two P. schreberi dominated sites (one southern and one northern) were from the years 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000. In the first series, the moss surface area of the analyzed specimens (5 +/- 0.2 mg DW) was smaller in 1995 (40% of both species collected in June) than in 1985 (40% of P. schreberi and 55% of H. splendens collected in September). The methanol-extractable UV-B-absorbing compounds of P. schreberi in 1985 and 1995 measured as absorbance at 10 nm intervals at 280-360 nm per mg DW revealed a negative correlation with reconstructed UV-radiation data. In the second series, the UV-B-absorbing compounds per specific surface area (surface area mm2 per DW) showed significant differences between the years. The highest values in both species were obtained in 1990. In H. splendens, a difference between the southern and northern samples was observed. The preliminary study encouraged the use of environmental specimen bank samples to indicate changes in surface radiation conditions.     

Model calculation of radiocaesium transfer into food products in semi-natural forest ecosystems in the Czech Republic after a nuclear reactor accident and an estimate of the population dose burden

Radioactivity of food products from semi-natural forest ecosystems can contribute appreciably to the radiological burden of the human population following a nuclear accident, as found after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. In the Czech Republic, radiocaesium radioactivity has been measured since 1986 in various components of forest ecosystems, such as soil, mushrooms, bilberries, deer and boar. In this work, the data are employed to predict how a model accident of the Temelín nuclear power plant in southern Bohemia (which is under construction) would affect selected forest ecosystems in its surroundings. The dose commitment to the critical population group is also estimated.     

Distribution of trace metals in moss biomonitors and assessment of contamination sources in Portugal

A biomonitoring survey using the moss species [Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. and Scelopodium touretii (Brid.) L. Kock] was performed in the whole territory of Portugal, in order to evaluate the atmospheric deposition of the following elements: Cd. Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The concentrations of the same elements were also obtained in two types of soil samples, collected under the moss and in nearby plots without any plant coverage, and relationships between moss and soil concentrations was investigated using the multivariate statistical method of Co-inertia Analysis. Also, relationships between concentrations in moss and several anthropogenic, geologic, pedologic and environmental parameters were screened using the same method of Co-inertia Analysis. Higher concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn were found in areas of higher population density, with higher gasoline consumption, while higher values of Fe and Cr occur in the driest region, with lower plant coverage, indicating strong contamination by resuspended soil particles. Results also show good agreement between moss and soil contents, even for elements with high contribution of anthropogenic sources. The spatial pattern in Portugal of element contents in mosses were also detected and discussed in relation to local contamination sources.     

Element concentrations in the forest moss Hylocomium splendens: variation associated with altitude, net primary production and soil chemistry.

Net primary production (NPP) of the forest moss Hylocomium splendens increased significantly along an elevational gradient in the southern Alps of Italy. Extracellularly bound metals (Al, Ca, Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, Mo, Ni, Pb) showed declining concentrations in moss tissue with increasing altitude, presumably because the amount of exchange sites on the cell wall increases less than total biomass. Concentrations of intracellular elements did not vary (Cd, Cu, Mg, Na, Zn), or even increased (K) with altitude. The observed patterns were always independent of precipitation amount and soil concentrations of exchangeable elements. A higher soil nutrient status only enhanced K uptake by the moss. We concluded that variations in moss NPP, associated with elevational gradients, may significantly affect estimates of atmospheric deposition based on moss analysis in mountainous regions.     

Winter arsenic pollution in 10 forest ecosystems in the mountainous border regions of the Czech Republic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Arsenic (As) concentrations and deposition fluxes were measured in snow and rime at 10 mountain-top sites near the borders between the Czech Republic...