Search results for " elements"

Mass levels, crustal component and trace elements in PM10 in Palermo, Italy.

2007

Abstract Results concerning the levels and elemental compositions of daily PM 10 samples collected at four air quality monitoring sites in Palermo (Italy) are presented. The highest mean value of PM 10 concentrations (46 μg m −3 , with a peak value of 158 μg m −3 ) was recorded at the Di Blasi urban station, and the lowest at Boccadifalco station (25 μg m −3 ), considered as a sub-urban background station. Seventeen elements (Al, As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, U, V, Zn) were measured by ICP-MS. Al and Fe showed the highest concentrations, indicating the significant contribution of soil and resuspended mineral particles to atmospheric PM 10 . Ba, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, …

Atmospheric Deposition around the Industrial Areas of Milazzo and Priolo Gargallo (Sicily–Italy)—Part B: Trace Elements

2023

The concentrations of trace elements in atmospheric bulk depositions (wet plus dry) were investigated from two highly industrialised areas of Sicily (southern Italy) from June 2018 to July 2019, in order to recognise the main natural and anthropogenic sources. A side objective of this study was to improve the common sampling procedures and analytical methods used for monitoring trace elements in atmospheric deposition. The trace element VWM (Volume-Weighted Mean) concentrations ranged from less than 0.01 μg L−1 for trace elements such as Cs, Tl, and U, up to 24 μg L−1 for minor elements (Al, Zn, Sr), in the filtered aliquot, while they reached concentrations up to 144 μ…

Dynamics of particulate major and trace elements in the lower reaches of the Daugava River and adjacent area of the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea).

2004

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) was collected in the freshwater-seawater mixing zone in the lower reaches of the Daugava River (Latvia) and adjacent marine area, during five cruises in 1998-2001. The study focused on biogeochemical phase exchange processes. SPM in the freshwater was found to be mainly allochthonous with a high content of organic matter, Mn and sorbed phosphate. Property-salinity plots suggested flocculation of humic-Fe complexes across the salinity gradient. The variability of sorbed phosphate was related to particulate Fe, although no dependence on pH and ionic strength was observed. The Mn contents of SPM mainly follow conservative mixing, but there are also indication…

Ultra-conserved elements provide insights to the biogeographic patterns of three benthic macroinvertebrate species in the Baltic Sea

2022

The Baltic Sea, with its steep salinity gradient, high water retention time, and relatively young age, represents a marginal ecosystem between marine and freshwater extremes. Due to differing invasion history and dispersal capabilities of Baltic species, there are large differences in species distributions, species-specific genetic structure and variation, and edge populations that may represent both a subset of the original population, as well as unique genetic lineages. We used a phylogenomic approach to investigate relationships between populations of three benthic macroinvertebrate species: Pygospio elegans, Corophium volutator, and Mya arenaria, providing new insight into evolutionary …

Towards the development of a fossil bone geochemical standard: An inter-laboratory study

2007

Ten international laboratories participated in an inter-laboratory comparison of a fossil bone composite with the objective of producing a matrix and structure-matched reference material for studies of the bio-mineralization of ancient fossil bone. We report the major and trace element compositions of the fossil bone composite, using in-situ method as well as various wet chemical digestion techniques. For major element concentrations, the intra-laboratory analytical precision (%RSDr) ranges from 7 to 18%, with higher percentages for Ti and K. The %RSDr are smaller than the inter-laboratory analytical precision (%RSDR; 100% was found for the high field strength elements (Hf, Th, Zr, Nb). The…

TarSynFlow, a workflow for bacterial genome comparisons that revealed genes putatively involved in the probiotic character of Shewanella putrefaciens…

2019

Probiotic microorganisms are of great interest in clinical, livestock and aquaculture. Knowledge of the genomic basis of probiotic characteristics can be a useful tool to understand why some strains can be pathogenic while others are probiotic in the same species. An automatized workflow called TarSynFlow (Targeted Synteny Workflow) has been then developed to compare finished or draft bacterial genomes based on a set of proteins. When used to analyze the finished genome of the probiotic strain Pdp11 ofShewanella putrefaciensand genome drafts from seven known non-probiotic strains of the same species obtained in this work, 15 genes were found exclusive of Pdp11. Their presence was confirmed …

FIRST APPLICATION OF ACTIVE BIOMONITORING TECHNIQUES (MOSS-BAGS) TO MAP THE DISPERSION OF VOLCANIC EMISSIONS

2011

Biomonitoring may be defined as the use of organisms and biomaterials (biomonitors) to obtain informations on certain characteristics of a particular medium (atmosphere, hydrosphere etc.). In particular, mosses accumulate large amounts of trace metals, making them good bioaccumulators to estimate atmospheric pollution. The moss-bags technique, introduced in the early 1970’, has become very popular. Such active biomonitoring technique is particularly useful in highly polluted areas and has been extensively used in industrial and/or urban areas to examine deposition patterns and to recognize point sources of pollution. The main objective of this study, which represents the first application o…

A biomonitoring study using endemic plants for the evaluation of volcanogenic deposition on Mt. Etna (Italy)

2010

8. A biomonitoring survey using leaves of tree (Betulla aethnensis, Pinus nigra and Populus tremula) and two endemic species (Senecio aethnensis and Rumex aethnensis) above treeline level, was performed on Mt. Etna, in order to evaluate the dispersion and the impact of volcanic emissions. Samples of leaves were collected in summer 2008 from 30 sites in the upper part of the volcano (800-3000 m a.s.l). Acid digestion of samples was carried out with a microwave oven, and 44 elements were analyzed by using plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS and ICP-OES). The highest concentrations of all investigated elements were found in the samples collected closest to the degassing craters, and in the downwind se…

Trace Elements in Soils and Plants from the Active Hydrothermal Area of Nisyros (Greece)

2014

Plants as biomonitors for volcanic emissions

2014

Biomonitoring techniques have been widely used in environmental studies to monitor anthropogenic pollutant. Recently such techniques have been applied also to ascertain the impact of contaminants naturally released by volcanic activity. In the present study a biomonitoring surveys has been performed in many different active volcanic systems: Mt. Etna and Vulcano (Italy), Nisyros (Greece), Nyiragongo (DRC), Masaya (Nicaragua), Gorely (Kamchatka, Russia). We sampled leaves of different species Betulla aethnensis, Pinus nigra, Populus tremula, Senecio aethnensis and Rumex aethnensis on Etna, Cistus creticus and salvifolius on Vulcano and Nisyros, Senecio ssp. on Nyiragongo, a Fern on Masaya an…