EMISSION RELATED AND REPEATED MONITORING OF ELEMENT CONCENTRATIONS INTHE EPIPHYTIC LICHEN HYPOGYMNIA-PHYSODES IN A COASTAL AREA, W FINLAND

The epiphytic lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. was used to monitor airborne elements in an area where two industrial plants, a power sta tion and a pulp mill, had been constructed in the mid- 1970's. Lichen material collected from permanent sites before to the start-up of thes e plants and up to 1989 was analysed for Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg , Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Ti and Zn by ICP plasma emission spectrophotometry an d for N by a micro-Kjeldahl method. Although the area is only moderate ly polluted, both increases and reductions in the concentrations of ce rtain elements were evident. For example, S and N were clearly elevate d and increasing in the vicinity of the pulp mill and to the north of it. Heavy metal contamination, presumably from a smelter 100 km to the south, was detected as increasing Ni and Cd concentrations. The overa ll Fennoscandian tendency of reduced Pb deposition was also apparent i n the lichen.