Moss biomonitoring in areas affected by ashfalls of Shiveluch volcano (Kamchatka).

The moss bag technique was applied on Kamchatka to assess the effect of Shiveluch volcano on the air quality. Moss bags were exposed in settlements located at different distances from the volcano and affected by ashfall to varying degrees. The inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used for the determination of the content of Al, Ba, Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, P, Pb, Sr, S, V, and Zn in both exposed and unexposed moss samples. Relative accumulation factor revealed enrichment of mosses exposed in the area affected by ashfall with Al, Cr, V, and Zn. Correlation and principal component analysis allowed to identify elements of volcanogenic, geogenic, and anthropogenic origin. Ecological risk values less than 150 indicate low potential ecological risk in the region. Active moss biomonitoring can be considered a cheap and efficient tool for in-depth study of the influence of volcanic activity on air quality on the peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]