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.     

Mosses as biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metal deposition: Spatial patterns and temporal trends in Europe

In recent decades, mosses have been used successfully as biomonitors of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals. Since 1990, the European moss survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals. Although spatial patterns were metal-specific, in 2005 the lowest concentrations of metals in mosses were generally found in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and northern parts of the UK; the highest concentrations were generally found in Belgium and south-eastern Europe. The recent decline in emission and subsequent deposition of heavy metals across Europe has resulted in a decrease in the heavy metal concentration in mosses for the majority of metals. Since 1990, the concentration in mosses has declined the most for arsenic, cadmium, iron, lead and vanadium (52-72%), followed by copper, nickel and zinc (20-30%), with no significant reduction being observed for mercury (12% since 1995) and chromium (2%). However, temporal trends were country-specific with sometimes increases being found.     

Antioxidant responses to simulated acid rain and heavy metal deposition in birch seedlings

This study measured the responses of different anti-oxidants in 2-year-old birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings subjected to simulated acid rain (pH 4.0) and heavy metals (Cu/Ni), applied alone or in combination for 2 months. The applied concentrations of pollutants did not significantly affect seedling biomass or total glutathione levels. Acid rain alone increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity both in leaves and roots, while heavy metals alone inhibited SOD activity in roots. Both acid rain and heavy metals applied singly increased ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activities in leaves but decreased activities in roots. In contrast, acid rain and heavy metal treatments increased glutathione reductase (GR) activity in roots but not in leaves. Spraying birch seedlings with a mixture of acid rain and heavy metals increased SOD, APX and GPX activities in leaves and GR activity in roots. However, the effects of mixed pollutants on enzyme activities usually were less than the summed effects of individual pollutants. Enzyme responses also depended on where pollutants were applied: spraying pollutants onto the shoots initiated higher responses in SOD, APX and GPX than did application to the soil surface, while the opposite was true for GR.     

Monitoring of heavy metal deposition in Northern Italy by moss analysis

A survey of heavy metal deposition in the mountainous territories of Northern Italy was carried out in 1995-96. Moss samples (mainly Hylocomium splendens) were collected in a dense network of sites (about 3.2 sites/1000 km(2)) and the data of metal concentrations in moss tissues were statistically correlated with environmental and climatic factors, as well as with bulk deposition of elements and elemental concentrations in the soil. Three main geographic patterns of metal concentration in mosses could be defined: (1) Fe, Ni, and Cr, all derived both by soil particulates and anthropogenic emissions connected with ferrous metal manufacturing, were mostly concentrated in Northwestern Italy; (2) Cu and Zn, as typical multi-source elements, showed rather high concentrations with little ranges of variation over the whole area and small peaks reflecting local source points; (3) Cd and Pb reflected long-distance transport and showed highest concentrations in the regions with highest precipitation, especially in the Eastern Alps.     

Consequences and implication of heavy metal spatial variations in sediments of the Keelung River drainage basin, Taiwan

A great deal of effort was enforced to reduce the pollution of the Keelung River in the past 20 years. A set of sediments covering most of the Keelung River drainage basin was analyzed for bulk sediment heavy metal concentrations, grain size content and Pb-210 dating in order to understand the spatial variations of sediment heavy metal contents as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of pollution control. The results showed that anthropogenic pollution and grain size are two of the most important factors in controlling spatial variations of metals in the Keelung River sediments. In addition, little reduction of sediment heavy metal concentrations was observed in the Keelung River drainage basin. Large spatial variations of metals and grain size were observed. High concentrations of zinc, copper, lead and cadmium were found in sediments near the main outlets of the adjacent Da-Wu-Lun Industrial Park and municipal waste drainage systems. Anthropogenic sources of heavy metal have altered the natural sediment heavy metal distributions. Positive linear relationships between aluminum, iron and fine-grained sediments showed that spatial grain size variations controlled the natural aluminum and iron concentrations in sediments. Zinc, copper, lead and cadmium contents were much higher than those measured 15 years ago. The unusually high concentrations of heavy metals, high enrichment factors and their rapid increases with time in Pb-210 dated core showed that the efforts in heavy metal reduction were futile. A proper regulation to prevent further heavy metals from entering into the river is urgently needed.     

A European survey of atmospheric heavy metal deposition in 2000-2001

The background, administration and current status of the monitoring programme "European Survey of Atmospheric Heavy Metal Deposition" is described. All European states are invited to join the survey 2000-2001. The co-ordination and responsibility for the survey will gradually be transferred from the Nordic Council of Ministers to the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops (ICP Vegetation).     

Atmospheric heavy metal deposition accumulated in rural forest soils of southern Scandinavia

Thirty-three years of measurements of atmospheric heavy metal (HM) deposition (bulk precipitation) in Denmark combined with European emission inventories form the basis for calculating a 50-year accumulated atmospheric input to a remote forest plantation on the island of Laesoe. Soil samples taken in two depths, 0-10cm and 10-20cm, at eight forest sites at the island were used to determine the increase in HM content in the eolian deposited top soils of the plantation. Concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) were determined in atmospheric deposition and in soils. The accumulated atmospheric deposition is of the same magnitude as the increase of these metals in the top soil.     

Mercury sources and physicochemical characteristics in ice,snow, and meltwater of the Laohugou Glacier Basin,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, samples of surface snow, surface ice, snow pit and meltwater from the Laohugou Glacier No. 12 on the northern edge of Tibetan Plateau...     

An experimental study of the dry deposition of gaseous nitric acid to snow

A chamber placed in a constant temperature freezing room was used to study the surface resistance during deposition of HNO₃ to a snow surface. The resistance decreased with increasing temperature from larger than 5 s mm⁻¹ at − 18°C to about l s mm⁻¹ at −3°C. Measurements of gaseous and particulate nitrate concentrations during winter at a rural site in south central Sweden gave concentrations in the range of 0.4–5 μg HNO₃ m⁻¹ and 0.3–3 μg NO⁻₃ m⁻³ with a mean value of 1.3 μg HNO₃ m⁻³ and 0.7 μg NO⁻₃ m⁻³, respectively. The results indicate that for periods with temperatures below − 2°C estimated dry deposition of HNO₃ to snow is at most 4 % of measured wet deposition of nitrate in the area.     

Reconstructing temporal trends in heavy metal deposition: assessing the value of herbarium moss samples

The use of the herbarium moss archive for investigating past atmospheric deposition of Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb was evaluated. Moss samples from five UK regions collected over 150 years were analysed for 26 elements using ICP-MS. Principal components analysis identified soil as a significant source of Ni and As and atmospheric deposition as the main source of Pb and Cu. Sources of Zn and Cd concentrations were identified to be at least partly atmospheric, but require further investigation. Temporal and spatial trends in metal concentrations in herbarium mosses showed that the highest Pb and Cu levels are found in Northern England in the late 19th century. Metal concentrations in herbarium moss samples were consistently higher than those in mosses collected from the field in 2000. Herbarium moss samples are concluded to be a useful resource to contribute to reconstructing trends in Pb and Cu deposition, but not, without further analysis, for Cd, Zn, As and Ni.     

Marine and non-marine contribution to the chemical composition of snow at the Riiser-Larsenisen Ice Shelf in Antarctica

The distribution with depth of seven different ions in three snow profiles, 1, 60 and 120km from the coast on Riiser-Larsenisen Ice Shelf (72° 30′ S, 15°E) shows a close co-variation between ions of marine origin and non-correlation between these ions and ions of presumptively non-marine origin. The deposition rates of ions of marine origin vary as 50:1 over some 120 km distance from the coast. The SO₄²⁻Na⁺ ratio in snow near the coast is lower than for bulk sea water indicating a loss of SO₄²⁻ in snow to the atmosphere by volatilization.     

Use of mosses (Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi) as biomonitors of heavy metal deposition: from relative to absolute deposition values

Concentrations of 48 elements in the ground growing mosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi have been compared with wet deposition data for the same elements at 13 Norwegian sites. Significant positive correlations were found for V, Fe, Co, As, Y, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ce, Sm, Er, Tl and Pb in Hylocomium splendens, and for Mg, V, Fe, Co, As, Se, Y, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl and Pb in Pleurozium schreberi. Regression equations for transforming moss concentration data to absolute deposition rates have been calculated for those of the above elements which are of interest from a pollution point of view. The concentration levels of Li, Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Ge, As, Se, Sr, Y, Zr, Sn, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Ho, Yb, Hf, Ta and U were similar in the two moss species. Hylocomium splendens had highest concentrations of Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Nb, Mo, Sb, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm, Lu, W, Tl, Pb and Th, whereas V, Mn, Rb and Cd were highest in Pleurozium schreberi. No variations were observed in the concentrations of the studied elements during the sampling season.     

微生物抗重金属毒性研究进展

不少重金属是微生物正常生长的必需元素 ,但是当重金属在菌体内浓度过高时 ,会对菌体产生毒性。微生物可通过细胞的表面富集与细胞膜成分的改变减小毒性的破坏 ,在重金属进一步的诱导下 ,菌体会产生由结构基因与调节基因组成的抗性基因 ,通过多途径的联合作用对重金属的毒性进行解毒     

Source and spatial distribution of airborne heavy metal deposition studied using mosses as biomonitors in Yancheng,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Naturally growing mosses have been successfully used as biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metal (HM) deposition. In recent years, with rapid economic...     

Atmospheric concentrations and the deposition velocity to snow of nitric acid,sulfur dioxide and various particulate species

A study of deposition velocities to snow was conducted during the 1982–1983 and 1983–1984 winters at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan. Weekly measurements were made of dry deposition rates to snow and the atmospheric concentrations of the depositing species. SO₂, with an average concentration of 2.2 ppb, was the dominant atmospheric sulfur containing species. NO₂, with an average concentration of 1.8 ppb, was the dominant atmospheric nitrogenous species. NO⁻₃ deposition was due primarily to HNO₃, which averaged 0.2 ppb. The HNO₃ deposition velocity averaged 1.4cm s⁻¹. The SO₂ deposition velocity varied with temperature, averaging 0.15 cm s⁻¹ for samples with appreciable exposure time above − 3°C, and 0.06 cm s⁻¹ for samples which remained below an ambient temperature of −3°C. Deposition velocities of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ , Na⁺, K⁺ and NH⁺₄ were 2.1, 1.5, 0.44, 0.51 and 0.10cm s⁻¹, respectively. The mass median diameters of these species were 4.4, 2.7, 1.8, 0.9 and 0.46 μm, respectively.     

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the dry deposition of particles to snow,pine trees and artificial collectors

Submicrometer and supermicrometer ammonium sulphate particles tagged with the radioisotope ³⁵S were released upwind of natural snow, trees and artificial collectors in a large field containing micrometeorological and air monitoring equipment. At a reference height of 10 cm, the average deposition velocity for 0.7 μm diameter particles was observed to be 0.039 and 0.096 cm s⁻¹ in two experiments conducted at a wind speed of 2.7 and 2.4 m s⁻¹ under stable and unstable conditions, respectively. Supermicrometer particles having an effective diameter of 7 μm were deposited to snow at a rate of 0.16 and 0.096 cm s⁻¹ in two experiments conducted under unstable conditions at a wind speed of 2.4 m s⁻¹. Compared to snow, all artificial collectors used in this study under-collected submicrometer particles and over-collected supermicrometer particles. Individual white pine branches scavenged submicrometer particles with an average efficiency of 0.015%. Comparisons of the theoretical and observed deposition rates of submicrometer particles to snow suggest that hygroscopic growth of sulphate particles in the humid nearsurface snow layer and interception by ice needles play a role in the deposition process.     

耒水流域土壤重金属污染的时空变异对比

收集了研究区内2008年的历史数据和2018年采集的最新数据,共计278个样品,分析测试了土壤环境污染常提及的Cd、Hg、As、Pb、Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn共8类重金属元素,利用单因子指数评价法、内梅罗综合污染指数法以及土壤环境质量评估法评价研究区内西河和耒水2条河流周边的土壤环境质量类别,结合反距离空间插值法以及空间几何分析,直观地展示出研究区2008—2018年土壤重金属的时空变异特征。结果表明：采集的2期数据中除Cr外,Cd、Hg、As、Pb、Cu、Ni、Zn表层土壤重金属元素均存在点位超标的情况,说明该研究区中整体存在重金属污染;通过单因子指数评价可知,2期数据单因子指数平均值排前2位的均为Cd和Pb,Cr平均值最小,研究区内2期数据Cr超过98%点位均属于优先保护类点位,Cd、As、Pb均存在超过《土壤环境质量农用地土壤污染风险管控标准》(GB 15618-2018)管制值的点位;污染增强区主要分布于采矿及冶炼企业密度较大的西河中上游、耒水上游和耒水下游3个区。为防止今后土壤重金属污染进一步增强,建议对3个高值区采取恰当的管理措施。     

Tissue-specific heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn) deposition in a natural population of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha Pallas.

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha was tested as an indicator of heavy metal exposure in urban waters of Vienna, Austria. Mussels, two sediment fractions, suspended matter, and filtrate were collected over one annual cycle at five sampling stations. Dreissena was dissected into five body parts: viscera, gill, foot, byssus, and shell, to determine tissue-specific metal accumulation. Cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc were measured by AAS. There was no clear relationship between (relatively low) metal concentrations in ambient compartments and in zebra mussel bodies. Therefore, D. polymorpha must be regarded as a poor suitable indicator tool under near-background contamination situations. Tissue-specific metal accumulation showed that cadmium was mainly stored in soft body parts. Lead, copper, and zinc showed significantly highest concentrations in the byssal threads. Metal concentrations and distribution patterns within the mussel's body must be interpreted as a result of (unknown) internal metal treatment/regulation. Excretion of lead, copper, and zinc via the byssus complex probably is an effective strategy for preventing toxic injury in D. polymorpha.