Abstract
Leaves of honey mesquite (Prosopis julifora) were collected along distance and elevation gradients from an Arizona copper smelter during a year of smelter operations and during a year of a smelter shut-down. An inorganic leaf element concentration spectrum for elements Zn, Cu, Fe, Ti, Mn, Al, Mg, Cs, Sm, U, Yb, As, La, Hf, Sb, Sc, V. In, W, Ba, Br, K, Na and Cl was derived for both sampling periods. Sources of element origin were identified through factor analysis and correlation matrices. Elements Cu, As, Sb, W and In, which are emitted in significant quantities during the smelting process and are good smelter pollution trace elements, were reduce up to 95% in mesquite leaves collected after the smelter shut-down. Leaves grown in the smelter vicinity during smelter operations showed visible leaflet deformation while no leaf damage was observed on the same trees during the non-operational period. The seasonal change in mesquite leaf element concentrations could be directly related to the seasonal change in atmospheric smelter pollution.
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Gabriel, I.E., Patten, D.T. Changes in the inorganic element concentration spectrum of mesquite foliage during operational and non-operational periods of a copper smelter. Water Air Soil Pollut 81, 207–217 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104011
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01104011