A study on
Artemisia austriaca
of
two anthropogenically heavy metal-polluted impact zones of the Rostov
region, namely Lake Atamanskoye and Novocherkasskaya Power Station,
was conducted. The influence of soil pollution on the Pb, Zn, and
Cu accumulation in various organs of
A. austriaca
, which is widespread in the studied territories, was established.
An extremely high level of Zn content (3051 mg/kg) was observed in
the soils of the impact zone of Lake Atamanskoe, as well as an excess
over the maximum permissible level for Pb and Cu (32 and 132 mg/kg
accordingly). The distribution coefficient (DC) of heavy metal translocation
showed the highest mobility of Zn (DC ≥ 1 in 9 out of 11 sites)
and the smallest of Pb (DC ≥ 1 in 4 out of 11 sites) in plants
of the Novocherkasskaya Power Station impact zone. The zone of increased
pollution around Lake Atamanskoye was 1.5 km, which was much smaller
than the Novocherkasskaya Power Station zone of high pollution (5
km). However, vehicle emissions accumulated in the soil over the past
decades had a greater effect on the Pb translocation than atmospheric
emissions of the enterprise.