Monitoring of heavy metal deposition in Northern Italy by moss analysis

A survey of heavy metal deposition in the mountainous territories of Northe rn Italy was carried out in 1995-96. Moss samples (mainly Hylocomium splend ens) were collected in a dense network of sites (about 3.2 sites/1000 km(2) ) and the data of metal concentrations in moss tissues were statistically c orrelated with environmental and climatic factors, as well as with bulk dep osition of elements and elemental concentrations in the soil. Three main ge ographic patterns of metal concentration in mosses could be defined: (1) Fe , Ni, and Cr, all derived both by soil particulates and anthropogenic emiss ions connected with ferrous metal manufacturing, were mostly concentrated i n Northwestern Italy; (2) Cu and Zn, as typical multi-source elements, show ed rather high concentrations with little ranges of variation over the whol e area and small peaks reflecting local source points; (3) Cd and Pb reflec ted long-distance transport and showed highest concentrations in the region s with highest precipitation, especially in the Eastern Alps. (C) 2000 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.