Heavy metal and nitrogen concentrations in mosses are declining across Europe whilst some “hotspots” remain in 2010
2015
Harmens, H. | Norris, D.A. | Sharps, K. | Mills, G. | Alber R., | Aleksiayenak, Y. | Blum, O. | Cucu-Man, S.-M. | Dam, M. | De Temmerman, L. | Ene, A. | Fernández, J.A. | Martinez-Abaigar, J. | Frontasyeva, M. | Godzik, B. | Jeran, Z. | Lazo, P. | Leblond, S. | Liiv, S. | Magnússon, S.H. | Maňkovská, B. | Karlsson, G Pihl | Piispanen, J. | Poikolainen, J. | Santamaria, J.M. | Skudnik, M. | Spiric, Z. | Stafilov, T. | Steinnes, E. | Stihi, C. | Suchara, I. | Thöni, L. | Todoran, R. | Yurukova, L. | Zechmeister, H.G.
In recent decades, naturally growing mosses have been used successfully as biomonitors of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and nitrogen. Since 1990, the European moss survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals. In 2010, the lowest concentrations of metals and nitrogen in mosses were generally found in northern Europe, whereas the highest concentrations were observed in (south-)eastern Europe for metals and the central belt for nitrogen. Averaged across Europe, since 1990, the median concentration in mosses has declined the most for lead (77%), followed by vanadium (55%), cadmium (51%), chromium (43%), zinc (34%), nickel (33%), iron (27%), arsenic (21%, since 1995), mercury (14%, since 1995) and copper (11%). Between 2005 and 2010, the decline ranged from 6% for copper to 36% for lead; for nitrogen the decline was 5%. Despite the Europe-wide decline, no changes or increases have been observed between 2005 and 2010 in some (regions of) countries.
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