Moss bag (Sphagnum papillosum) magnetic and elemental properties for characterising seasonal and spatial variation in urban pollution

Abstract

This study investigates the seasonal and spatial variation of traffic-induced particle matter in order to evaluate the pollutant distribution and the representativeness of the single air quality monitoring station in the city centre of Turku, southwest Finland. Study focused on parks, kindergarten and school yards as well as heavily trafficked sites. Sampling was done using active magnetic biomonitoring, which is highly applicable in polluted areas lacking native species. Sphagnum papillosum moss bags were exposed separately in road dust period, which is experienced after snow melt and the resuspension of sanding material in spring, and summer season for about 60 days in 2013. Moss bags are magnetically and elementally (e.g. Al, Cr, Fe, Na, Ni, Pb) more enriched in road dust period and near heavily trafficked sites than in summer season and in the courtyard or park sites. Magnetic properties indicate that particle matter is composed of finegrained pseudo-single-domain magnetite towards superparamagnetic-single-domain grain sizes. Intensive road dust period overrides the variation of prevailing conditions as indicated by three paired samples showing finer grain sizes and higher element levels in courtyard/park sites than in traffic sites in summer. The results emphasise the effectiveness of active magnetic biomonitoring for the assessment of spatially representative air quality monitoring stations and related modelling approaches.

Biomagnetic Monitoring of Atmospheric Pollution: A Review of Magnetic Signatures from Biological Sensors

“…Regarding spatial variability of moss and lichen magnetism, distinct enrichment factors have been found near metallurgic factories and road traffic, with evidence of source-distance and source strength (e.g. traffic intensity) effects 41, 135,136 . Associations were reported between magnetic properties of mosses and their heavy metal 138 and PAH content 116 .…”

Negative correlation between concentration of iron oxides and particulate matter in atmospheric dust: case study at industrial site during smoggy period

“…Magnetic properties of tree leaves as biocarriers of the deposited atmospheric dust have been investigated in relation to air pollution by many authors (Hofman et al, 2017;Jordanova et al, 2010b;Jordanova et al, 2003;Kardel et al, 2018;Kardel et al, 2011;Kardel et al, 2012;Maher et al, 2008;Matzka and Maher, 1999;Mitchell and Maher, 2009;Mitchell et al, 2010;Moreno et al, 2003;Rodriguez-Germade et al, 2014;Sagnotti et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2006). There are also numerous studies on magnetic properties of tree needles (Jordanova et al, 2010;Lehndorff et al, 2006;Urbat et al, 2004), tree barks, rings or branches (Brignole et al, 2018;Vezzola et al, 2017;Wuyts et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2008), lichens, in situ or transplanted (Chaparro et al, 2013;Kodnik et al, 2017;Marie et al, 2016;Marie et al, 2018;Paoli et al, 2017;Salo et al, 2012), and moss and transplanted moss bags (Fabian et al, 2011;Limo et al, 2018;Salo et al, 2012Salo et al, , 2016aSalo et al, , 2016bMakinen, 2014, 2019;Vukovic et al, 2015a;Vukovic et al, 2015b). High sensitivity of magnetic methods enabled even examination of magnetic properties of spider webs (Rachwal et al, 2018).…”

Mosses as Biomonitor of Air Pollution with Analytes Originating from Tobacco Smoke

“…The technique has been commonly used in assessment of air pollution with trace elements in urban and industrial areas [12]. For example, a study with the use of the moss bag method was carried out in urban areas: in Belgrade, Serbia [13], in Turku, south-western Finland [14], in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova [15] or in Germany (mosses were exposed near the roof of the fermentation chamber in a biogas plant) [16]. All the above mentioned studies confirm good sorption characteristics of mosses and the possibility of using them in biomonitoring of wood and urban areas [17][18][19].…”