title: EuroBionet: a pan-European biomonitoring network for urban air quality assessment.
abstract: EuroBionet, the 'European Network for the Assessment of Air Quality by the Use of Bioindicator Plants', is an EU-funded cooperative project currently consisting of public authorities and scientific institutes from 12 cities in 8 countries. In 2000, the bioindicator plants tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum Bel W3), poplar (Populus nigra 'Brandaris'), spiderwort (Tradescantia sp. clone 4430), Italian rye grass (Lolium multiflorum italicum) and curly kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) were exposed to ambient air at 90 monitoring sites according to standardised methods. Visible injuries and growth parameters were assessed and the accumulation of toxic substances in leaves determined. The exposure of tobacco resulted in a gradient with low levels of ozone-induced foliar injury in N and NW Europe, and medium to high values in the southern and central regions. The results of heavy metal and sulphur analyses in rye grass samples generally showed low to very low sulphur and low to medium heavy metal concentrations in leaves. In some cities, however, local hot spots of heavy metal contamination were detected. Analyses of the PAH contents in curly kale leaves gave low to medium values, with locally elevated levels at traffic-exposed sites.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Landscape and Plant Ecology (320), University of Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany. aklumpp@uni-hohenheim.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klumpp
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ansel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klumpp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Belluzzo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Calatayud
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaplin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Garrec
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gutsche
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Hentze
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kambezidis
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peñuelas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ro-Poulsen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sifakis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vergne
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D007391:International Cooperation; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D010083:Oxidants, Photochemical / Q000009:adverse effects; D010126:Ozone / Q000009:adverse effects; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010083:Oxidants, Photochemical; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D010126:Ozone