Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Changes in the atmospheric deposition of minor and rare elements between 1975 and 2000 in south Sweden, as measured by moss analysis

Rühling, Åke LU and Tyler, Germund LU (2004) In Environmental Pollution 131(3). p.417-423
Abstract
Elements emitted to the atmosphere are partly exported to more remote areas and contribute to the regional and territorial deposition rates. This study is based on the principle that carpet-forming bryophytes (pleurocarpic mosses) absorb elements and particles from rain, melting snow and dry deposition. We compare the concentrations of 60 elements in carpets of the forest moss Pleurozium schreberi sampled in 1975 and 2000 within a sparsely inhabited area dominated by forest and bogland in south Sweden. As an average for all the 60 elements, the median concentration was 2.7 times higher in 1975 than in 2000. The greatest difference was measured for Pb, although In, Bi, Ge, V, Sri, As and Ag had more than 5 times higher concentrations in... (More)
Elements emitted to the atmosphere are partly exported to more remote areas and contribute to the regional and territorial deposition rates. This study is based on the principle that carpet-forming bryophytes (pleurocarpic mosses) absorb elements and particles from rain, melting snow and dry deposition. We compare the concentrations of 60 elements in carpets of the forest moss Pleurozium schreberi sampled in 1975 and 2000 within a sparsely inhabited area dominated by forest and bogland in south Sweden. As an average for all the 60 elements, the median concentration was 2.7 times higher in 1975 than in 2000. The greatest difference was measured for Pb, although In, Bi, Ge, V, Sri, As and Ag had more than 5 times higher concentrations in 1975 than in 2000. Somewhat lower 1975/2000 concentration ratios (3.0-3.8) were measured for U, Sb, Cd, W, Ga, Fe, Li, and Be. The rare-earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu), except Eu as well as Th, Ni, Al, Ti, Hf, Nb, and Zr, had concentration ratios around the average (2.5-2.8). Possible causes of these changes are discussed. We conclude that reductions in anthropogenic dust emissions during recent decades have decreased the atmospheric deposition over northern Europe of most elements in the periodical system, as previously reported for a limited number of transition and heavy metals. Changes in the deposition of soil dust would be of minor importance to the decreased deposition rates. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Environmental Pollution
volume
131
issue
3
pages
417 - 423
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:15261405
  • wos:000223097600010
  • scopus:3142707188
ISSN
0269-7491
DOI
10.1016/j.envpol.2004.03.005
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
169f6479-105c-4b13-96f6-6ef0b8ec746c (old id 137461)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:54:28
date last changed
2022-03-22 07:00:23
@article{169f6479-105c-4b13-96f6-6ef0b8ec746c,
  abstract     = {{Elements emitted to the atmosphere are partly exported to more remote areas and contribute to the regional and territorial deposition rates. This study is based on the principle that carpet-forming bryophytes (pleurocarpic mosses) absorb elements and particles from rain, melting snow and dry deposition. We compare the concentrations of 60 elements in carpets of the forest moss Pleurozium schreberi sampled in 1975 and 2000 within a sparsely inhabited area dominated by forest and bogland in south Sweden. As an average for all the 60 elements, the median concentration was 2.7 times higher in 1975 than in 2000. The greatest difference was measured for Pb, although In, Bi, Ge, V, Sri, As and Ag had more than 5 times higher concentrations in 1975 than in 2000. Somewhat lower 1975/2000 concentration ratios (3.0-3.8) were measured for U, Sb, Cd, W, Ga, Fe, Li, and Be. The rare-earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu), except Eu as well as Th, Ni, Al, Ti, Hf, Nb, and Zr, had concentration ratios around the average (2.5-2.8). Possible causes of these changes are discussed. We conclude that reductions in anthropogenic dust emissions during recent decades have decreased the atmospheric deposition over northern Europe of most elements in the periodical system, as previously reported for a limited number of transition and heavy metals. Changes in the deposition of soil dust would be of minor importance to the decreased deposition rates.}},
  author       = {{Rühling, Åke and Tyler, Germund}},
  issn         = {{0269-7491}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{417--423}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environmental Pollution}},
  title        = {{Changes in the atmospheric deposition of minor and rare elements between 1975 and 2000 in south Sweden, as measured by moss analysis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2004.03.005}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envpol.2004.03.005}},
  volume       = {{131}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}