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Multielement Atmospheric Deposition Study in Croatia

The moss biomonitoring technique and two complementary analytical techniques − neutron activation analyses (NAA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) − were applied to study multielement atmospheric deposition in the Republic of Croatia. Moss samples were collected during the summer 2006 from 98 sites evenly distributed over the country. Sampling was performed in accordance with the LRTAP Convention – ICP Vegetation protocol and sampling strategy of the European Programme on Biomonitoring Heavy Metal Atmospheric Deposition. Conventional and epithermal neutron activation analyses made it possible to determine concentrations of 41 elements including key heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Hg, and Cu determined by AAS. Principal component analysis (factor analysis with VARIMAX rotation) was applied to distinguish elements mainly of anthropogenic origin from those predominantly originating from natural sources. Geographical distribution maps of the elements over the sampled territory were constructed using GIS technology. The median values for Croatia are consistent with the corresponding values for all Europe for most elements. It was shown that the Adriatic coastline of Croatia may be considered as an environmentally pristine area. This study was conducted in order to provide reliable assessment of air quality throughout Croatia including areas used as military polygons (“Eugen Kvaternik” in Slunj), and producing information needed for better identification of pollution sources and improving the potential for assessing environmental and health risks in Croatia associated with toxic metals.

Atmospheric Deposition; moss; air quality; Croatia

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