We coordinated the project on Mapping the main sources of pollutants and their transport in the Visegrad space, supported by the International Visegrad Fund (http://visegradfund.org/).

• Participants in the project

Wladyslaw Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland

Institute of Botany and Ecophysiology, Czen István University, Gödöllő, Hungary

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Průhonice, Czech Republic

• Project goals

Gather current information for checking the air quality in central Europe in the area of the Visegrad countries and, especially, in each of the V4 countries.

Collect available data about element concentrations in moss in the V4 countries in 2000/2001 obtained in the framework of the European biomonitoring campaign (UNECE ICP-Vegetation).

Evaluate the results, and produce dot and isopleth maps of element distribution in the Visegrad territory.

Identify the main anthropogenic sources of air pollution in hot spots indicated by high concentrations of toxic and risk elements in moss.

Present commented maps of element distribution in moss, and explain the causes of the hot spots and the risk of transport of air pollution across the boundaries of the V4 region.

Evaluate the effect of available stand factors (elevation) on element concentrations. Estimate the risk of bioindicated element deposition loads in the hot spots on the health of the local population and the forest ecosystems in the affected areas of the V4 countries.

• Methods used

We gathered moss analyses from each country. We determined the concentration of 8 - 53 elements, using AAS, OES-ICP, ICP-MS and NAA in moss samples from 499 sites in the V4 countries. In Poland, 8 elements were determined in 116 moss samples (Pleurozium schreberi) collected in a highly polluted area in the Legnica-Głogów region, a moderately polluted area in the Mazowsze region, and in the lightly polluted Podlasie region. In Slovakia, the concentrations of 53 elements in mosses, mainly Pleurozium schreberi and three alternative species, were available for 86 sites. Concentrations of 8 elements in moss Hypnum cupressiforme collected at 47 plots were available from Hungary. The Czech Republic provided the concentrations of 37 elements, mainly in moss Pleurozium schreberi and in four alternative species collected at 250 monitoring plots.

Information about the location and elevation of the sampling plots was provided. The analytical data was evaluated using basic descriptive statistics, regression, cluster and factor analyses (StatSoft Statistica), and colour dot and isopleth maps were constructed using GIS facilities.

• Main results

The following two publications were produced as the main outcome of the project:

Suchara I., Florek M., Godzik B., Maňkovská B., Rbnecz G., Sucharová J., Tuba Z., Kapusta P. (2007): Mapping of main sources of pollutants and their transport in the Visegrad space. Part I: Eight toxic metals.- Expert group on bio-monitoring the atmospheric deposition loads in the Visegrad countries, Pruhonice, Výzkumný ústav Silva Taroucy pro krajinu a okrasné zahradnictví, v.v.i, Průhonice, 127 pp. [ISBN 978-80-85116-53-3 (paperback), ISBN 978-80-85116-55-7 (a set)].

This survey lists conventions on the reduction of air pollution signed by the V4 countries, provides information about air quality monitoring in each of the countries, the participation of each of the V4 countries in the European moss-monitoring campaigns, etc. Commented dot and isopleth maps of the distribution of the Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn concentrations in moss in each of the V4 countries are presented. Potential sources of pollution causing the hot spots are stated. The moss data from the V4 countries is compared with the moss data published for other European countries. The results of regression, cluster and factor analyses are commented on in the report. The bioindicated atmospheric deposition loads of the 8 elements probably do not represent a serious health risk or threat to the ecosystem, except in the centres of the most intensive hot spots, frequently situated at sites in the former so-called Black Triangle areas (NW and NE parts of the Czech Republic) and mainly at several local hot spots in Slovakia. However, the synergetic effects of multi-element contamination need to be taken into consideration, and the incidence of some diseases may correlate with element concentrations in moss. Selected project results are supported by illustrative examples in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3.

Suchara I., Florek M., Godzik B., Maňkovská B., Rbnecz G., Sucharová J., Tuba Z., Kapusta P. (2007): Mapping of main sources of pollutants and their transport in the Visegrad space. Part II: Fifty three elements.- Expert group on biomonitoring the atmospheric deposition loads in the Visegrad countries, Pruhonice, Výzkumný ústav Silva Taroucy pro krajinu a okrasné zahradnictví, v.v.i, Průhonice, 214 pp. [ISBN 978-80-85116-54-0 (2. sv., CD-ROM), ISBN 978-80-85116-55-7 (a set)].

The second part of the survey (CD-ROM) evaluates the distribution of 53 elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Bi, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Hf, I, In, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, N, Na, Ni, Pb, Pr, Rb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Yb, Zn and Zr) in moss in the V4 countries, mainly in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The report states the positions of all moss sampling plots and determines the element concentrations in the moss samples. Commented colour dot and isopleth maps of the distribution of the element concentrations in the V4 countries are presented, and potential sources of pollution are listed. The results of the basic statistics and correlation, factor and cluster analyses of the analytical results are presented. The element concentrations in moss in the V4 countries are found to be significantly controlled by the elevation of the sampling sites. The data obtained for the V4 countries was compared with published moss monitoring results from other European countries. Examples of selected results are presented in Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Table 1.