Comparison of plant and precipitation chemistry in catchments with different levels of pollution on the Kola Peninsula, Russia

Highly variable concentration patterns for up to 29 elements were found in three plant-groups (crowberry Empetrum nigrum; lichen - Cladonia sp.; and t errestrial moss - Hylocomium splendens + Pleurozium schreberi) collected in selected catchments in the central Barents region. Element concentrations in the plants are compared with those observed for rain, snow melt water an d snow filter residue collected in the same catchments. Based on these resu lts the suitability of each plant-group as a bio-indicator for atmospheric input of elements is evaluated. Lichen shows by far the lowest concentratio ns in most major elements (Ca, S, P, Al, Mg, Mn and Fe). The highest levels of Cr, Fe, Mg, and S appear in all three plant-groups near the nickel roas ter in Zapoljarnij. In moss and lichen, Ag, Ba, Bi, Cd, and Na, show the hi ghest concentration within the impact zone of the nickel refinery in Monche gorsk. However, these plants do not survive in the immediate vicinity of th is refinery where concentrations of As, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni and Pb in crowberry are higher than for all other vegetation samples in our study. The three gr oups react quite different to dust input (e.g. Al, Ba, Ca, K, La, Na, P, Rb , Sr and Y) from the large open cast apatite mine in Kirovsk near Apatity. For a large number of elements all three groups mirror at least a part of t he elemental input via precipitation. Each plant-group reflects precipitati on chemistry especially well for some elements. Moss reacts most strongly t o rain, lichen is probably the best 'integrator' and crowberry reflects bes t the particulate input. Ni is the only element for which all three plant-g roups directly reflect the atmospheric input pattern via precipitation. For other elements the input patterns are often essentially altered. To reliab ly use plant chemistry for documenting pollution patterns a very large regi onal contrast in deposition appears to be necessary for most elements. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.