The impact of multiple anthropogenic contaminants on the terrestrial environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Abstract

The anthropogenic impact on the terrestrial environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park (PLNP) was investigated through the analysis of three groups of major contaminants (persistent organochlorine pollutants including 15 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 17 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trace elements/heavy metals (6 major and 23 trace constituents), and anthropogenic radionuclides ((90)Sr, (134)Cs, and (137)Cs)) in three terrestrial compartments (soil, air, and bioindicators of air contamination) during 2011-2013. The correlation coefficients of element mass fractions with soil properties indicated that total Fe and Al minerals, soil organic matter (OM), and organic carbon (OC) content affected the mass fractions of most trace elements in the topsoils. The annual and spatial distributions of heavy metals in total deposited matter (TDM) indicated that the metals came from natural sources and long-range transfer of particulate matter. The PCB and OCP levels found in soil and conifer needles corresponded to global environmental pollution levels by persistent organic pollutants and represented the lower end of the mass fraction ranges reported in the relevant literature. Analyses of anthropogenic radionuclides in bioindicators (conifer needles, lichens, and mosses) showed low but measurable activity concentrations of (134)Cs (for the first time after the Chernobyl accident), which indicated origin from the March 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. Our overall results indicated that human activity inside or near the PLNP had no significant impact either on contaminant spread by air or on their content in topsoils.

Application of a new in situ calibration technique for gamma spectrometry and comparison of in situ and laboratory measurements

“…Still, removing pieces of stone and drying soil samples may result in higher laboratory measurements of 40 K than in the field. Depending on the type of rock, stones may contain significantly less (or more, in case of granite) 40 K than soil, and the water content in soil in the field, depending on the season, can result in 5–10 % lower in situ results measurements ( 13 ).…”

Soils and sediments of Prošće Lake catchment as a possible terrigenous input in the lakes system

“…Although 99 % of the Park surface is terrestrial environment, very few studies were conducted of that area. Soils play a very important role in slowing down infiltration of water and contaminants in karst underground (Romanić et al 2016). According to Kamenik (2001) in case of mountainous lakes, water pH increases with increasing soil cover.…”