Publication Date:
2017-04-04
Description:
Volatile metal(loid)s are known to be emitted from volcanoes worldwide.We tested the suitability of active moss
monitoring for tracking volatilemetal(loid)s released fromthe fumarolic field on Vulcano Island, Italy, and differentiated
fumaroles from other sources of gaseous and particulate trace elements such as sea spray and soil.Metal(loid)
accumulation on the mosses per day did depend neither on the state of the exposed moss (dead or living) nor
exposure time (3, 6, or 9 weeks). After collection, mosses were digested with either HNO3/H2O2 or deionized
water and analyzed by ICP-MS.While for most elements both extraction methods yielded similar concentrations,
higher concentrations were observed e.g. for Pb in the stronger HNO3/H2O2 extracts, indicating the presence of
particles, which were not digested and removed by filtration in deionized water extracts. Due to their ubiquitous
detection in comparable concentrations at all 23 moss monitoring stations all over the island, Li, Mg and Sr were
attributed to sea spray origin. Iron, Co, W, V, Pb, Cr, Mo, and Ba occurred predominantly at the crater, where the
soil was not covered by vegetation, and thus likely represent soil-borne particulate transport. Arsenic, Sb, S, Se, Tl,
Bi, and I showed a clear concentration maximum within the fumarolic field. Concentrations gradually decreased
along a transect in wind direction fromthe fumaroles, which confirms their volcanic origin. Activemossmonitoring
thus proved to be an inexpensive and easy-to-apply tool for investigations of volcanic metal(loid) emissions and
distributions enabling differentiation of trapped elements by their source of origin.
Description:
Published
Description:
30–39
Description:
4V. Vulcani e ambiente
Description:
JCR Journal
Description:
restricted
Keywords:
La Fossa crater
;
particle transport
;
biomonitoring
;
volatilization
;
01. Atmosphere::01.01. Atmosphere::01.01.07. Volcanic effects
;
04. Solid Earth::04.08. Volcanology::04.08.01. Gases
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
Permalink