Kari Heliövaara , Rauno Väisänen

Quantitative variation in the elemental composition of Scots pine needles along a pollutant gradient.

Heliövaara K., Väisänen R. (1989). Quantitative variation in the elemental composition of Scots pine needles along a pollutant gradient. Silva Fennica vol. 23 no. 1 article id 5367. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15526

Abstract

Quantitative variation in the elemental composition of living Scots pine needles was studied along an atmospheric pollutant gradient in the surroundings of the industrial town Harjavalta, south-western Finland. Two 9-km-long transects, each with nine sample plots, running to the S and SW from factory complex were delimited in a homogenous Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest. Needle samples were taken from 10 trees at each site, and from two separate sites in Tuusula near Helsinki. There was considerable spatial variation in the elemental composition of the needles. Heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Zn) showed a clear pattern of exponentially decreasing concentration with increasing distance from the emission source. Sodium and potassium concentrations, as well as the ash weight and air-dry weight, also decreased. Magnesium, manganese and calcium concentrations increased with increasing distance.

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Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; needles; Finland; nutrients; Harjavalta; air pollution; heavy metals; herbivores

Published in 1989

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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15526 | Download PDF