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Multivariate assessment of atmospheric deposition studies in Bulgaria based on moss biomonitors: trends between the 2005/2006 and 2015/2016 surveys

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the changes in atmospheric deposition trends in Bulgaria, studied using the moss biomonitoring technique since 1995. For the first time, a paired (site-wise) comparison was performed after a critical review of the sampling networks and adjusting for location, the distance between the sampling points, and moss species. Data from the 2005/2006 and 2015/2016 moss surveys were chosen as instrumental neutron activation analysis was employed in both to determine the content of 34 elements (Al, As, Ba, Br, Са, Ce, Cl, Со, Cr, Cs, Fe, Hf, I, K, La, Mn, Na, Nd, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, Tm, U, V, W, Yb, Zn). In addition, Cd, Cu, and Pb were determined using complementary analytical methods: inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy in 2015/2016 and atomic absorption spectroscopy in 2005/2006. For the subset of 57 routinely sampled locations in Bulgaria, hierarchical clustering on principal components and multiple factor analysis (MFA) were applied to assess the spatial trends in the 10 years elapsed between the surveys, as well as to characterise the origin of the determined elements. Elevation and distance between the sampling points were used as additional variables in the multiple factor analysis plane to ascertain their effect on the overall variance in the datasets. Distribution maps were constructed to illustrate the deposition patterns for the pollutant Pb. The results were consistent with decreased industrial output in the country, increased coal combustion and transport pollution, and construction of roads.

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Acknowledgements

The research was part of the JINR Topical plan for international cooperation 03-4-1128-2017/2019: Investigations in the Field of Nuclear Physics with Neutrons – Applied Research.

Funding

The study was financially supported by the grant of the Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria at JINR, Order 31 of 23.01.2015, p. 15 and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under OP RDE, grant number CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000753 “Research centre for low-carbon energy technologies”, and ERDF/ESF New Composite Materials for Environmental Applications (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_048/0007399).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics and Engineering, Paisii Hilendarski University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    Gergana Hristozova & Savka Marinova

  2. Agricultural University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    Gergana Hristozova

  3. Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research, Division of Nuclear Physics, FLNP, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russian Federation, 141980

    Gergana Hristozova, Vladislav Svozilík & Inga Zinicovscaia

  4. Nanotechnology Centre, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Oldřich Motyka

  5. ENET Centre, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Oldřich Motyka

  6. Institute of Environmental Technology, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic

    Vladislav Svozilík

  7. Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, Romania

    Inga Zinicovscaia

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  1. Gergana Hristozova
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  2. Savka Marinova
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  4. Vladislav Svozilík
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  5. Inga Zinicovscaia
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Correspondence to Gergana Hristozova.

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Hristozova, G., Marinova, S., Motyka, O. et al. Multivariate assessment of atmospheric deposition studies in Bulgaria based on moss biomonitors: trends between the 2005/2006 and 2015/2016 surveys. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 39330–39342 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10005-w

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