Biomonitoring of airborne inorganic and organic pollutants by means of pine tree barks. I. Temporal and spatial variations

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) bark samples were collected at two field sites (Neuglobsow, Rösa) and in different years between 1987 and 1996 in the east of Germany. The barks were analyzed with respect to the following inorganic and organic substances: Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, NH4 +, Ni, NO3-, PO43-, Pb, Sr, SO42-, Ti, V, W, Zr, Zn, benzo(a)pyrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, a-hexachlorocyclohexane (a-HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). In addition to bark samples from the site Rosa, 53 test sites were investigated in the Nature Park Dübener Heide. Here, the analysis of the barks aimed at discovering spatial patterns of the abovementioned substances. Since 1991, most of the determined substances (e.g. sulfate, nitrate, calcium, lead, benzo(a)pyrene, a-HCH) show decreased concentration values in bark samples from both sites. Temporal variations reflect substantial infra-structural changes in eastern Germany, especially at Rosa and in the industrial region around the cities Leipzig, Halle, and Bitterfeld. Moreover, nitrate concentrations in barks are increasing since 1995. The trend can be explained with increased nitrogen emissions from motor traffic and livestock farms. Spatial patterns of sulphate and ammonia reflect inputs from power plants and agriculture in pine stands of the Nature Park Dübener Heide. The results show that barks of pine trees can be used as biomonitoring tools to indicate and characterize depositions of airborne organic and inorganic pollutants.