28
P. Lazo et al.
The background level of elements As, Cd, Zn, and Cu in Albanian moss samples
is among the lowest level in Europe (Harmens et al. 2013); Pb stands in the middle
position, and the elements Ni, Cr, Al, Fe, V, Sb and Hg show very high BC levels
classified among the three highest content together with Ukraine, Denmark and North
Macedonia.
3.3 Spatial Distribution of the Elements
Albania is a country with a long coast line in the west, high mountains in the east and
big variations in climate and annual precipitation. The marine environment may affect
the chemical composition of the precipitation that may also strongly affect to the
chemical composition of the moss elements. Windblown dust, long-range transport
of the pollutants, transported mineral dust and sea spry salts are the most important
natural sources contributing to the aerosol loading in Europe, and particularly to the
air quality in Mediterranean countries, as they are close to arid and semi-arid regions
of North Africa deserts (Marelli 2007).
Sea salts are the major contributors to marine aerosol mass and to marine aerosol
particulate matter (PM) loadings in coastal areas. The sea salt inorganic ions consist
mainly of halogens, Cl
− , Br
− and I
− , and marine cations such as Na
+ , Mg
2+ , Ca
2+ and
K
+ and SO 4
2− (Marelli 2007; Steinnes and Lierhagen 2017). On the other hand the
geogenic factors in the eastern part show different effects on chemical composition
of the precipitation that may also strongly affect to the chemical composition of moss
elements (Lazo et al. 2019). To investigate the effects of marine environment and
geogenic factors, the results of present work are separated in three different transects
from the south to the north direction. The 1st transects is positioned at about 1–5 km
far from the coastal line, the 2nd transects is positioned in the middle of the country
about 55 km far from the coastal line, and the last (the 3rd transects) one is positioned
in the East about 90 km far from the coastal line. The correlations between elements
(Spearman Rho correlation for non-parametric data) were calculated for complete
data set and for each transect (see Table A.1, Appendix).
GIS maps of selected elements (Fig. 3.3) are plotted to investigate the spatial
distribution of the metals in all territory of Albania and to distinguish the areas with
high content of metals that may pose risk to the humans and to the environmental
ecosystems.
The statistical analysis of 2010 moss surveys data (Qarri et al. 2013, 2014;
Bekteshi et al. 2015; Allajbeu et al. 2017; Lazo et al. 2018) showed relatively high
levels of metals(lloids) such as Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, V, Hg and somehow As, Zn, Cd, Sb,
and Pb (Lazo et al. 2018) in the areas subject to local atmospheric deposition of the
pollutants. It is probably linked with anthropogenic emission sources derived mostly
from mining industry, the sludge and dumps from mining operation, and geogenic
factors of the areas with sparse vegetation that are a great potential of wind blowing
P. Lazo et al.
The background level of elements As, Cd, Zn, and Cu in Albanian moss samples
is among the lowest level in Europe (Harmens et al. 2013); Pb stands in the middle
position, and the elements Ni, Cr, Al, Fe, V, Sb and Hg show very high BC levels
classified among the three highest content together with Ukraine, Denmark and North
Macedonia.
3.3 Spatial Distribution of the Elements
Albania is a country with a long coast line in the west, high mountains in the east and
big variations in climate and annual precipitation. The marine environment may affect
the chemical composition of the precipitation that may also strongly affect to the
chemical composition of the moss elements. Windblown dust, long-range transport
of the pollutants, transported mineral dust and sea spry salts are the most important
natural sources contributing to the aerosol loading in Europe, and particularly to the
air quality in Mediterranean countries, as they are close to arid and semi-arid regions
of North Africa deserts (Marelli 2007).
Sea salts are the major contributors to marine aerosol mass and to marine aerosol
particulate matter (PM) loadings in coastal areas. The sea salt inorganic ions consist
mainly of halogens, Cl
− , Br
− and I
− , and marine cations such as Na
+ , Mg
2+ , Ca
2+ and
K
+ and SO 4
2− (Marelli 2007; Steinnes and Lierhagen 2017). On the other hand the
geogenic factors in the eastern part show different effects on chemical composition
of the precipitation that may also strongly affect to the chemical composition of moss
elements (Lazo et al. 2019). To investigate the effects of marine environment and
geogenic factors, the results of present work are separated in three different transects
from the south to the north direction. The 1st transects is positioned at about 1–5 km
far from the coastal line, the 2nd transects is positioned in the middle of the country
about 55 km far from the coastal line, and the last (the 3rd transects) one is positioned
in the East about 90 km far from the coastal line. The correlations between elements
(Spearman Rho correlation for non-parametric data) were calculated for complete
data set and for each transect (see Table A.1, Appendix).
GIS maps of selected elements (Fig. 3.3) are plotted to investigate the spatial
distribution of the metals in all territory of Albania and to distinguish the areas with
high content of metals that may pose risk to the humans and to the environmental
ecosystems.
The statistical analysis of 2010 moss surveys data (Qarri et al. 2013, 2014;
Bekteshi et al. 2015; Allajbeu et al. 2017; Lazo et al. 2018) showed relatively high
levels of metals(lloids) such as Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, V, Hg and somehow As, Zn, Cd, Sb,
and Pb (Lazo et al. 2018) in the areas subject to local atmospheric deposition of the
pollutants. It is probably linked with anthropogenic emission sources derived mostly
from mining industry, the sludge and dumps from mining operation, and geogenic
factors of the areas with sparse vegetation that are a great potential of wind blowing