Assessment of trace metal air pollution in Paris using slurry-TXRF analysis on cemetery mosses

Mosses are useful, ubiquitous accumulation biomonitors and as such can be used for biomonitoring surveys. However, the biomonitoring of atmospheric pollution can be compromised in urban contexts if the targeted biomonitors are regularly disturbed, irregularly distributed, or are difficult to access. Here, we test the hypothesis that cemeteries are appropriate moss sampling sites for the evaluation of air pollution in urban areas. We sampled mosses growing on gravestones in 21 urban and peri-urban cemeteries in the Paris metropolitan area. We focused on Grimmia pulvinata (Hedwig) Smith, a species abundantly found in all studied cemeteries and very common in Europe. The concentration of Al, As, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, V, P, Pb, Rb, S, Sr, Ti, and Zn was determined by a total reflection X-ray fluorescence technique coupled with a slurry sampling method (slurry-TXRF). This method avoids a digestion step, reduces the risk of sample contamination, and works even at low sample quantities. Elemental markers of road traffic indicated that the highest polluted cemeteries were located near the highly frequented Parisian ring road and under the influence of prevailing winds. The sites with the lowest pollution were found not only in the peri-urban cemeteries, adjoining forest or farming landscapes, but also in the large and relatively wooded cemeteries located in the center of Paris. Our results suggest that (1) slurry-TXRF might be successfully used with moss material, (2) G. pulvinata might be a good biomonitor of trace metals air pollution in urban context, and (3) cemetery moss sampling could be a useful complement for monitoring urban areas.

Open image in new window

Graphical abstract We tested the hypothesis that cemeteries are appropriate moss sampling sites for the evaluation of air pollution in urban areas. We sampled 110 moss cushions (Grimmia pulvinata) growing on gravestones in 21 urban and peri-urban cemeteries in the Paris metropolitan area. The concentration of 20 elements in mosses was determined by a total reflection X-ray fluorescence technique coupled with a slurry sampling method. Statistical analysis revealed that: - Urbanized Parisian areas crossed by traffic roads have the highest polluted cemeteries with a strong influence of main wind direction on the distribution of air pollutants - As expected, small cemeteries with low tree density were heavily polluted - Less obvious, large green spaces such as large cemeteries (Père Lachaise, Montmartre, Montparnasse) in the center of a dense metropolis like Paris present the same level of atmospheric trace metal pollution as cemeteries in less urbanized areas or nearing a very large forest. This suggests that even in densely urbanized areas, there is more spatial variability in pollution distribution than usually assumed and that large urban areas with low traffic and green filters such as trees are likely to intercept air pollutants

     

Integrated spatial health assessment of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations from the St. Lawrence River (QC,Canada), part B: cellular and transcriptomic effects

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Multi-biological level assessments have become great tools to evaluate the health of aquatic ecosystems. Using this approach, a complementary study...     

Climate change adaptation strategies for transportation infrastructure in Prince George,Canada

Transport infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts as it is designed for long operational lives, and both episodic and seasonal conditions contribute to deterioration, disruption and unsafe incidents. There are some examples of adaptation in transportation design, but many communities do not have the capacity to incorporate climate change considerations into infrastructure planning and management. Researchers worked closely with the City of Prince George, in Central British Columbia, Canada, to build on existing work and explore how the City could plan, design, and maintain roads and other structures to account for climate change. A local steering committee was formed, and created and evaluated 23 potential research topics. Two focus areas were selected for further investigation and explored during a workshop with practitioners, researchers, consultants and other representatives. The workshop precipitated an investigation of projected impacts of climate change on road maintenance and road safety, and plans to explore alternative paving techniques. Outcomes of the case study provide insights regarding climate change and local transportation infrastructure, including: how researchers can engage with local experts to explore adaptation; issues local governments perceive as important; and barriers communities face as they attempt to address vulnerabilities.     

The influence of the level of definition of functional specifications on the environmental performances of a complex system. EcoCSP approach

The tendency towards a homogenous mode of development modelled on that of Western countries means that sustainable development has become increasingly urgent. It is necessary to thoroughly redefine products and their expected performances in such a way that the consequences are compatible with sustainable development. In the domain of product design, this means that it is no longer sufficient to use assessment tools “after the fact” to check the impact of products whose functional unit (FU) was defined prior to production; it is now necessary to rethink the definition of the FU itself. This article aims to present an approach based on a combination of life cycle analysis methods and problem-solving by constraint satisfaction. This original approach makes it possible to vary the design of the different dimensions of the FUs of a complex system and thus to make it easier to identify the best architecture along with the best functional definition of the system. In this study, the EcoCSP approach is applied to define the functional performances of an ecological passenger ferry. The complexity of couplings between subsystems and the sheer number of those subsystems mean that the designer has to use “intelligent” tools. These simulate a great number of scenarios and help him/her to fine-tune the system and make the right technological choices with regard to the right functional specifications.     

Study of the dispersion of VOCs emitted by a municipal solid waste landfill

The dispersion of VOCs emitted by a municipal solid waste landfill was studied for a period of over one year. Sixteen VOCs were monitored: linear alkanes from C₇ to C₁₁, BTEX, trimethylbenzene, trichlorethylene, tetrachlorethylene, α and β-pinenes, limonene. The analytical procedure was first comprised of static long-term sampling of about 2 months using radial diffusion Radiello tubes containing activated carbon, followed by extraction by solvent (i.e. CS₂) and GC/MS analysis. The results were initially analysed on the basis of the total concentration of the quantified VOCs, then by examining the concentrations of certain selected compounds. The influence of different parameters such as operating conditions, meteorological conditions and site morphology was highlighted on the basis of total VOC concentrations. In order to study the VOC's dispersion more closely, 5 compounds were chosen: toluene, benzene, limonene, and the sum trichlorethylene + tetrachlorethylene, as a “marker”, to verify the origin of the VOCs emitted. The results showed that the main source of VOCs is the open cell and lead to different hypotheses on interferences from neighbouring sources and to the proposal of solutions to limit the emission of VOCs and their dispersion. To our knowledge, this type of study has not been accomplished until this day.     

An Approach for Evaluating the Repeatability of Rapid Wetland Assessment Methods: The Effects of Training and Experience

We sampled 92 wetlands from four different basins in the United States to quantify observer repeatability in rapid wetland condition assessment using the Delaware Rapid Assessment Protocol (DERAP). In the Inland Bays basin of Delaware, 58 wetland sites were sampled by multiple observers with varying levels of experience (novice to expert) following a thorough training workshop. In the Nanticoke (Delaware/Maryland), Cuyahoga (Ohio), and John Day (Oregon) basins, 34 wetlands were sampled by two expert teams of observers with minimal protocol training. The variance in observer to observer scoring at each site was used to calculate pooled standard deviations (SD_pool), coefficients of variation, and signal-to-noise ratios for each survey. The results showed that the experience level of the observer had little impact on the repeatability of the final rapid assessment score. Training, however, had a large impact on observer to observer repeatability. The SD_pool in the Inland Bay survey with training (2.2 points out of a 0–30 score) was about half that observed in the other three basins where observers had minimal training (SD_pool = 4.2 points). Using the results from the survey with training, we would expect that two sites assessed by different, trained observers who obtain DERAP scores differing by more than 4 points are highly likely to differ in ecological condition, and that sites with scores that differ by 2 or fewer points are within variability that can be attributed to observer differences.     

Teachers' conceptions of nature and environment in 16 countries

By using an original framework involving complementary statistical approaches, we investigated the environmental attitudes of 6379 pre-service and in-service teachers in 16 countries of Europe and its neighbourhood. To test hypotheses about the nature of environmental attitudes, we examined the variation across groups of individuals (between-class analysis), investigated the independent effects of several candidate explanatory factors (orthogonal analysis), and finally inspected potential relationships between conceptions on a variety of topics (co-inertia analysis).     

Constraints to Watershed Planning: Group Structure and Process1

Floress, Kristin, Jean C. Mangun, Mae A. Davenport, and Karl W.J. Williard, 2009. Constraints to Watershed Planning: Group Structure and Process. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(6):1352‐1360. Abstract: The roles that agencies and other partners play in collaborative watershed management are not always clearly identified. Key factors contributing to group‐level outcomes in watershed groups include both structural and procedural elements. Structural elements include membership systems, project partners, and funding, while procedural elements include leadership, shared vision, and mission development. The current research reports on a case study conducted with a Midwestern watershed group that received Clean Water Act Section 319 funds to undertake a watershed planning process. Data come from focus groups, interviews, public comments, and meeting observation, and were analyzed using grounded theory. Findings of this study indicate that homogenous skill set, discord over group and partner roles, and failed problem identification contributed to the organizational inertia experienced by the watershed group. Implications of this research for groups receiving 319 funds are provided.     

Is PM10 mass measurement a reliable index for air quality assessment? An environmental study in a geographical area of north-eastern Italy

The aim of this study was to measure the concentration of some metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Ti) in PM(10) samples collected in one urban and one industrial site and to assess that PM(10) total mass measurement may be not sufficient as air quality index due to its complex composition. Metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and differential pulsed anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The measured concentrations were used to calculate the content of metals in the PM(10) total mass, and to estimate the enrichment factors and the correlations between PM(10), metal concentrations and meteorological data for the two sites. The mean PM10 concentration during the sampling period in the urban site exceeded the annual European Union (EU) standard (40 microg/m(3)) and, for some sampling days, the daily EU standard (50 microg/m(3)) was also exceeded. In opposite, both EU standards were never exceeded in the industrial site. The overall metal content was nearly double in the industrial site compared to the urban one, and the mean Ni concentration exceeded the EU annual limit value (10 ng/m(3)). The metals with the highest enrichment factor were Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb for both sites, suggesting a dominant anthropogenic source for these metals. Metal concentrations were very low and typical of rural background during Christmas holidays, when factories were closed. PM(10) total mass measurement is not a sufficient air quality index since the metal content of PM(10) is not related to its total mass, especially in sites with industrial activities. This measurement should be associated with the analysis of toxic metals.