Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils and Mosses of Southern Tundra at Different Distances from the Thermal Power Plant

• Published in: Eurasian soil science Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 528 - 535
• Main Authors: Yakovleva, E. V., Gabov, D. N., Beznosikov, V. A., Kondratenok, B. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.05.2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic plants; Aromatic compounds; Aromatic hydrocarbons; Bioaccumulation; Biological monitoring; Bryophyta; Coefficient of variation; Coefficients; Combustion; Composition; Contamination; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Electric power generation; Electric power-plants; Environmental monitoring; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Ground cover; Indicator organisms; Indicator species; Indicators (Biology); Molecular chains; Mosses; Naphthalene; Organic soils; Plant communities; Pleurozium schreberi; Pollution; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Power plants; Snow; Snow cover; Soil; Soil Chemistry; Soil contamination; Soil horizons; Soils; Thermal energy; Thermal power; Thermal power plants; Tundra; Uptake; moss; soil; monitoring; coal combustion; polyarenes
• ISSN: 1064-2293; 1556-195X
• DOI: 10.1134/S1064229318030134

A number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) structures have been identified in organic horizons of surface-gley tundra soils (Stagnic Cambisols) and the moss Pleurozium schreberi . The total content of polyarenes in soils and P. schreberi exceeds the background values in 3.5–5 times. A tendency of increasing content of polyarenes with the distance from the source to 1 km has been revealed. High coefficients of variation have been found between the contents of PAHs in snow cover, organic soil horizons, and mosses. Light hydrocarbons dominate in the composition of PAHs from the snow and ground covers and mosses. Naphthalene dominates on the surface of mosses in all of the studied plots, which is largely related to its intensive uptake by mosses under pollution conditions. It has been found that when the input of polyarenes onto the surface of tundra phytocenoses increases, the bioaccumulation of PAHs by P. schreberi is intensified, and PAHs begin to penetrate into moss. The increase in the concentration of high-molecularweight polyarenes in the environment plays the key role in the activation of PAH bioaccumulation by moss. It has been shown that P. schreberi can be used as an indicator species for monitoring the contamination of tundra phytocenoses by polyarenes. Both living and dead parts of P. schreberi are suitable for the environmental monitoring of PAH contamination.