title: Mosses as an integrating tool for monitoring PAH atmospheric deposition: comparison with total deposition and evaluation of bioconcentration factors. A year-long case-study.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) atmospheric deposition was evaluated at a remote site in Northern Spain using moss biomonitoring with Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp., and by measuring the total deposition fluxes of PAHs. The year-long study allowed seasonal variations of PAH content in mosses to be observed, and these followed a similar trend to those of PAH fluxes in total deposition. Generally, atmospheric deposition of PAHs is greater in winter than in summer, due to more PAH emissions from domestic heating, less photoreactivity of the compounds, and intense leaching of the atmosphere by wet deposition. However, fractionation of these molecules between the environmental compartments occurs: PAH fluxes in total deposition and PAH concentrations in mosses are correlated with their solubility (r=0.852, p<0.01) and lipophilic properties (KOW, r=0.768, p<0.01), respectively. This annual study therefore showed that atmospheric PAH fluxes can be estimated with moss biomonitoring data if the bioconcentration or 'enriching' factors are known.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INPT, LCA (Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle), ENSIACET, 4 Allée Emile Monso, F-31030 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR 1010 CAI, F-31030 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foan
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INPT, LCA (Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle), ENSIACET, 4 Allée Emile Monso, F-31030 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR 1010 CAI, F-31030 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domercq
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Integrado de Calidad Ambiental (LICA), Departamento de Química y Edafología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bermejo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Integrado de Calidad Ambiental (LICA), Departamento de Química y Edafología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Navarra, Irunlarrea 1, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santamaría
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, INPT, LCA (Laboratoire de Chimie Agro-Industrielle), ENSIACET, 4 Allée Emile Monso, F-31030 Toulouse, France; INRA, UMR 1010 CAI, F-31030 Toulouse, France. Electronic address: valerie.simon@ensiacet.fr.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D019068:Bryopsida / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: Atmospheric deposition; Biomonitoring; Moss; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; Seasonal trend; Throughfall deposition