The NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 For analysing element input into ecosystems and associated risks due to atmospheric deposition, element concentrations in 51 moss provide complementary and time-integrated data at high spatial resolution every five years since 1990. The paper 52 reviews (1) minimum sample sizes needed for reliable, statistical estimation of mean values at four different spatial scales
53(European and national level as well as landscape-specific level covering Europe and single countries); (2) trends of heavy 54 metal (HM) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in moss in Europe (1990Europe ( -2010; (3) correlations between concentrations of HM in 55 moss and soil specimens collected across Norway (1990Norway ( -2010; and (4) canopy drip-induced site-specific variation of N 56 concentration in moss sampled in seven European countries . While the minimum sample sizes on the European 57 and national level were achieved without exception, for some ecological land classes and elements the coverage with 58 sampling sites should be improved. The decline in emission and subsequent atmospheric deposition of HM across Europe 59 has resulted in decreasing HM concentrations in moss between 1990 and 2010. In contrast, hardly any changes were 60 observed for N in moss between 2005, when N was included into the survey for the first time, and 2010. In Norway, both, the 61 moss and the soil survey data sets were correlated, indicating a decrease of HM concentrations in moss and soil. At the site 62 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
71other manufacturing industries and construction (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb), electricity and heat production (e.g. Hg, Ni), road 72 transportation (Cu and Sb from brake wear, Pb from petrol, Zn from tires), petroleum refining (Ni, V), and phosphate 73 fertilisers in agricultural areas (Cd) (Harmens et al. 2011 a). N emissions and relateted deposition are due to technical 74 processes and agriculture. Pollutants which were emitted into and transported through the atmosphere finally come down at
75Earth´s surface as wet (rain, snow), occult (fog, mist, rime) or dry (gases, particles) deposition where they accumulate in 76 biota and sediments of terrestrial and subsequently of aquatic ecosystems.
78In Germany, less than 10 % of the HM load of aquatic environments is emitted from industries. More than 80 % of policyclic (Harmens et al. 2015). In contrast to measurements with tec...