The history of mercury pollution near the Spolana chlor-alkali plant (Neratovice, Czech Republic) as recorded by Scots pine tree rings and other bioindicators

0472707 - GLÚ 2018 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Navrátil, Tomáš - Šimeček, Martin - Shanley, J. B. - Rohovec, Jan - Hojdová, Maria - Houška, J.
The history of mercury pollution near the Spolana chlor-alkali plant (Neratovice, Czech Republic) as recorded by Scots pine tree rings and other bioindicators.
Science of the Total Environment. Roč. 586, 15 May (2017), s. 1182-1192. ISSN 0048-9697. E-ISSN 1879-1026
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-14762S
Institutional support: RVO:67985831
Keywords : point source * Hg emissions * dendrochemistry * bioindicators * soil * bark * needles * Pinus sylvestris * electrolysis * caustic soda
OECD category: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)
Impact factor: 4.610, year: 2017

We assessed over 100 years of mercury (Hg) pollution recorded in the tree rings of Scots Pine near a Czech chlor-alkali plant operating since 1941. Hg concentrations in tree rings increased with the launching of plant operations and decreased when Hg emissions decreased in 1975 due to an upgrade in production technology. Similar to traditional bioindicators of pollution such as pine needles, bark and forest floor humus, Hg concentrations in Scots Pine boles decreased with distance from the plant. Mean Hg in pine bole in the 1940s ranged from 32.5 ug/kg Hg at a distance of 0.5 km from the plant to 5.4 ug/kg at a distance of over 4.7 km, where tree ring Hg was the same as at a reference site, and other bioindicators also suggest that the effect of the plant was no longer discernible. Tree ring Hg concentrations decreased by 8–29 ug/kg since the 1940s at all study sites including the reference site. The lack of exact correspondence between changes at the plant and tree ring Hg indicated some smearing of the signal due to lateral translocation of Hg from sapwood to heartwood. Bole Hg concentrations reflected local and regional atmospheric Hg concentrations, and not Hg wet deposition.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0269948