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Accumulation of sulphur in and on scots pine needles in the subarctic

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Abstract

Total S concentrations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles studied in the Finnish subarctic (66–70°N, 24–30°E) in 1990/1992 ranged from 573 to 1153 μg g−1 Levels were found to be ∼ 900 μg g−1 (i.e. 1.3–1.8 times the ‘normal’ level of 500–700 μg g−1 in areas where the long-term ambient SO2 concentration was ∼ 2–5 μg m−3, particulate SO 2-4 ∼ 2 μg m−3 and total S deposition ≈ 0.5 g m−2. A statistically significant increase in needle total S concentrations was found towards the east, i.e. towards the smelters of the Kola Peninsula in Russia, which emit SO2. The increase in needle total S concentrations to over 900 μg g−1 close to the Russian border is thought to result mainly from exposure to high short-term SO2 concentrations. The results also suggest that wintertime S deposition may have an impact on the needle total S content. It is suggested that the UNECE long-term critical level of 15 μg SO2 m−3 for forestry in boreal and high mountain climates in Europe is too high for the pine forests in the extreme north, where the proportion of dry-deposited S may be 60–80%.

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  1. Department of Biology/Botany, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 333, FIN-90571, Oulu, Finland

    Sirkku Manninen & Satu Huttunen

  2. Geological Survey of Finland, Regional Office of North Finland, P.O. Box 77, FIN-96101, Rovaniemi, Finland

    Matti Kontio

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  1. Sirkku Manninen
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Manninen, S., Huttunen, S. & Kontio, M. Accumulation of sulphur in and on scots pine needles in the subarctic. Water Air Soil Pollut 95, 147–164 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02406162

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