Service Description: Elemental atmospheric pollution assessment via moss-based measurements in Portland, Oregon
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Description: Authors: Demetrios Gatziolis, Sarah Jovan, Geoffrey Donovan, Michael Amacher, and Vicente Monleon
USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station, the Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program & the Goods, Services, and Values ProgramValues, Services, and Goods Programs
Abstract: Moss accumulate pollutants from the atmosphere and can serve as an inexpensive screening tool for mapping air quality and guiding the placement of monitoring instruments. We measured twenty-two elements using 346 moss samples collected across Portland, Oregon in December 2013. Our objectives were to develop city-wide maps of the concentration in moss for each element and identify potential air pollution “hotspots.” We used simple dot maps, histograms, and summary statistics, to describe the distribution of each element. Fifteen metals had highly right-skewed distributions, indicating high metal concentrations (relative to concentrations measured in our dataset) in moss at one or more locations. These metals included high priority toxics such as cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As). Past research shows that element concentrations in moss reflect atmospheric concentrations, although the strength of these relationships varies by element and is unknown for the elements we sampled. Therefore, atmospheric concentrations would need to be measured by an air quality monitor in order to determine whether hotspots suggested by the moss indicator are problematic or pose a health risk. We provide the raw data for all elements we measured to enable scientists, regulators, and citizens to further investigate the importance and possible sources of moss-identified hotspots.
P, K, Mg, Ca, and S concentrations are expressed as percent of moss dry weight. All other elements in mg/kg
Copyright Text: Demetrios Gatziolis, Sarah Jovan, Geoffrey Donovan, Michael Amacher, and Vicente Monleon
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