title: The impact of multiple anthropogenic contaminants on the terrestrial environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.
abstract: The anthropogenic impact on the terrestrial environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park (PLNP) was investigated through the analysis of three groups of major contaminants (persistent organochlorine pollutants including 15 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 17 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trace elements/heavy metals (6 major and 23 trace constituents), and anthropogenic radionuclides ((90)Sr, (134)Cs, and (137)Cs)) in three terrestrial compartments (soil, air, and bioindicators of air contamination) during 2011-2013. The correlation coefficients of element mass fractions with soil properties indicated that total Fe and Al minerals, soil organic matter (OM), and organic carbon (OC) content affected the mass fractions of most trace elements in the topsoils. The annual and spatial distributions of heavy metals in total deposited matter (TDM) indicated that the metals came from natural sources and long-range transfer of particulate matter. The PCB and OCP levels found in soil and conifer needles corresponded to global environmental pollution levels by persistent organic pollutants and represented the lower end of the mass fraction ranges reported in the relevant literature. Analyses of anthropogenic radionuclides in bioindicators (conifer needles, lichens, and mosses) showed low but measurable activity concentrations of (134)Cs (for the first time after the Chernobyl accident), which indicated origin from the March 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. Our overall results indicated that human activity inside or near the PLNP had no significant impact either on contaminant spread by air or on their content in topsoils.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Snježana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herceg Romanić
authors.affiliation: Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia. zorana.kljakovic-gaspic@imi.hr.
authors.forename: Zorana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kljaković-Gašpić
authors.affiliation: Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tomislav
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bituh
authors.affiliation: Environmental Hygiene Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Silva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Žužul
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dvoršćak
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fingler
authors.affiliation: Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jurasović
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Darija
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Klinčić
authors.affiliation: Radiation Protection Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marović
authors.affiliation: Analytical Toxicology and Mineral Metabolism Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Orct
authors.affiliation: Environmental Hygiene Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Jasmina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rinkovec
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Organic Analytical Chemistry Unit, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, PO Box 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stipičević
mesh_terms: D044002:Bryophyta; D017523:Croatia; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry; D008011:Lichens; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D000068316:Parks, Recreational; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D052638:Particulate Matter; D010575:Pesticides; D011868:Radioisotopes; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Metal(oid)s; Organochlorine pesticides; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Radionuclides; Soil; Total deposited matter