Winter arsenic pollution in 10 forest ecosystems in the mountainous border regions of the Czech Republic
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Winter arsenic pollution in 10 forest ecosystems in the mountainous border regions of the Czech Republic Daniel A. Petrash 1,2 & Martin Novák 1 & Leona Bohdálková 1 & Micheal Krachler 3 & Jan Čuřík 1 & František Veselovský 1 & Markéta Štěpánová 1 & Karelys Umbría-Salinas 2 & Eva Přechová 1 & Arnost Komárek 4 Received: 3 August 2020 / Accepted: 17 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Arsenic (As) concentrations and deposition fluxes were measured in snow and rime at 10 mountain-top sites near the borders between the Czech Republic and Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia during three consecutive winter seasons (2009–2011). Our study was performed at a time following several decades of sharply decreasing regional atmospheric pollution and following the 2006 implementation of stricter air quality standards across Europe. Our objective was to compare vertical and horizontal depositions of soluble and insoluble As forms throughout the Czech Republic and define a recent Central European As pollution gradient. Arsenic soluble in weak nitric acid contributed 83 to 85% to the total As deposition, with the remaining 17–15% bound to stable particulate forms. The highest As deposition rates were recorded in the eastern Czech Republic near the borders with Poland and Slovakia. Complementary hydrochemical monitoring in four mountain-slope catchments situated near selected main study sites revealed a further decrease in open-area As deposition by the end of 2018 in the east of the country. In contrast, spruce canopy throughfall flux did not change significantly between 2009–2011 and 2016–2018. The site-specific relative roles of coalburning-derived and ore-smelting-derived atmospheric As are discussed. Keywords Arsenic . Air pollution . Vertical deposition . Horizontal deposition . Rime . Small catchments . Hydrochemical monitoring
Introduction European countries are leading the global efforts to phase out coal before 2030 due to growing concerns over public health and the consequences of current climate change. Yet, a strong lobby capitalizing on security of supply and cost arguments Responsible Editor: Gerhard Lammel * Daniel A. Petrash [email protected] 1
Department of Environmental Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Czech Geological Survey, Geologicka 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
2
Soil and Water Research Infrastrucutre, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
3
European Commission, Joint Research Centre Karlsruhe, P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
4
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Sokolovska 49, 186 75 Prague 8, Czech Republic
for energy transition keeps a few Central European economies still relying heavily on lignite and bituminous coal for electricity and heat generation (Wilson and Staffell 2018). Consequently, numerous coal-fired power plants with an output larger than 30 MW continue producing electricity and/or heat to the growing populations of Slovakia, Poland, and
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