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Related Experiment Video

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A Workflow for the Quantitative Assessment of the Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacterial Microbiomes of the Bark of Populus trichocarpa

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Locating POPs Sources with Tree Bark.

Angela A Peverly¹, Amina Salamova¹, Ronald A Hites¹

¹School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States.

Environmental Science & Technology

|January 29, 2015

Summary

Tree bark effectively samples persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the atmosphere. Analyzing POPs in tree bark using spatial methods can pinpoint pollution sources, aiding in identifying manufacturing plants.

Area of Science:

Environmental Chemistry
Atmospheric Science
Biomonitoring

Background:

Locating atmospheric sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) presents significant challenges.
Traditional methods for source identification can be complex and resource-intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate tree bark as a passive atmospheric sampler for persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
To demonstrate the utility of spatial analysis of tree bark POPs concentrations in pinpointing pollution sources.

Main Methods:

Utilizing tree bark as a lipophilic passive sampler for atmospheric POPs adsorption.
Applying spatial analysis techniques, including kriged maps and a power-law model, to POPs concentration data from tree bark.
Correlating identified POP hotspots with potential pollutant sources.

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Main Results:

Tree bark demonstrated effectiveness in adsorbing and accumulating POPs from the atmosphere.
Spatial analysis of tree bark POPs concentrations successfully identified localized pollution sources.
In three out of four case studies, the method directly led to the identification of the pollutant's manufacturing plant.

Conclusions:

Tree bark serves as an excellent and cost-effective passive sampler for atmospheric POPs.
Spatial analysis of tree bark POPs data is a viable strategy for source identification at various scales (global, regional, local).
This approach significantly aids in pinpointing industrial sources of persistent organic pollutants.