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Suitability of selected bioindicators of atmospheric pollution in the industrialised region of Ostrava, Upper Silesia, Czech Republic

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Abstract

This study is a continuation of our preceding research identifying suitable environmental samples for the tracing of atmospheric pollution in industrial areas. Three additional types of environmental samples were used to characterise contamination sources in the industrial area of Ostrava city, Czech Republic. The region is known for its extensive metallurgical and mining activities. Fingerprinting of stable Pb isotopes was applied to distinguish individual sources of anthropogenic Pb. A wide range of 206Pb/207Pb ratios was observed in the investigated samples: 206Pb/207Pb = 1.168–1.198 in mosses; 206Pb/207Pb = 1.167–1.215 in soils and 206Pb/207Pb = 1.158–1.184 in tree cores. Black and brown coal combustion, as well as metallurgical activities, is the two main sources of pollution in the area. Fossil fuel burning in industry and households seems to be a stronger source of Pb emissions than from the metallurgical industry. Concentration analyses of tree rings showed that a significant increase in As concentrations occurred between 1999 and 2016 (from 0.38 mg kg−1 to 13.8 mg kg−1). This shift corresponds to the use of brown coal from Bílina, Czech Republic, with an increased As concentration. The burning of low-quality fuels in households remains a problem in the area, as small ground sources have a greater influence on the air quality than do industrial sources.

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Acknowledgments

The research leading to these results has received funding from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009–2014 under project contract no. 7F14330. This work was supported by Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (project IGA 4240013123161 and project CIGA 20164201). We would like to thank to the Elsevier language services for English corrections. Authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Geosciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21, Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic

    Anna Francová, Vladislav Chrastný, Hana Šillerová & Michael Komárek

  2. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21, Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic

    Jana Kocourková

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  1. Anna Francová
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  2. Vladislav Chrastný
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  4. Jana Kocourková
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  5. Michael Komárek
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Correspondence to Anna Francová.

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Highlights

- Tree rings serve as historical evidence for changes of contamination sources.

- Use of coal is a stronger pollution source than metallurgical activities.

- Combustion in households is a significant source of pollution.

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Francová, A., Chrastný, V., Šillerová, H. et al. Suitability of selected bioindicators of atmospheric pollution in the industrialised region of Ostrava, Upper Silesia, Czech Republic. Environ Monit Assess 189, 478 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6199-5

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