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Airborne Chemical Elements in Spanish Moss

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Airborne Chemical Elements in Spanish Moss Airborne Chemical Elements in Spanish Moss GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 574-E fc«- Airborne Chemical Elements in Spanish Moss By HANSFORD T. SHACKLETTE and JON J. CONNOR STATISTICAL STUDIES IN FIELD GEOCHEMISTRY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 574-E A study of local and regional variation in airborne materials as indicated by chemical analysis of an epiphyte UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 73-600178 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 -Price $1.25 (paper cover) Stock Number 2401-02456 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract..................................................................................... El Methods of study Continued Introduction.............................................................................. Data presentation............................................................. E6 Responses of plants to airborne chemical elements........... Elemental composition of Spanish moss............................... 9 Morphology and ecology of Spanish moss........................... Discussion of results................................................................ 42 Methods of study..................................................................... Summary and conclusions....................................................... 44 Sampling plan.................................................................. References cited........................................................................ 45 Analytical methods.......................................................... ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Drawings of growth habit and morphological features of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides L.)............. E5 2. Photograph showing growth of Spanish moss on the tops of pond cypress ( Taxodium ascendens Brongn.) and on the more shaded lower branches......--....-.......... ................................................................................. 6 3. Map showing Spanish moss sample localities.... .................................................................................................... 7 4. Map showing localities of Spanish moss samples containing elements not commonly detected and the con­ centrations of the elements............................................................................................................. 10 5-35. Maps showing ash yield and element content of Spanish moss samples: 5. Ash....................................__......_..._._...._.....__.......~ 11 6. Aluminum............................................................................................................................................................. 12 7. Arsenic.................................................................................................................................................................. 13 8. Barium.................................................................................................................................................................. 14 9. Boron.................................................................... 15 10. Cadmium............................................................................................................................................................... 16 11. Calcium..................................................... 17 12. Chromium............................................................................................................................................................. 18 13. Cobalt............................................................... 19 14. Copper................................................................................................................................................................... 20 15. Gallium.............................................................,............................................... ..................^..... 21 16. Iron..................................................................._ 22 17. Lanthanum...................................................................................................................................................... ... 23 18. Lead ............... .... ....... .. .............. .... 24 19. Lithium........ ..................................................................................................................................... 25 20. Magnesium................................................................................................................................ ..... .............. 26 21. Manganese............................................................................................................................................................. 27 22. Molybdenum .. .... .... .. ............ ....... 28 23. Nickel................... ............ .. ..... ....... 29 24. Phosphorus....................................................................................................................................................... 30 25. Potassium.............................................................................................................................................................. 31 26. Scandium .. ...... ....... ....... .. .. 32 27. Silver.... ................................... ... ..... .._.._.. .^ 33 28. Sodium............................................................................................................................................................. 34 29. Strontium . .......... .. ... ....... .... 35 30. Titanium................................................................................................................................................. 36 31. Vanadium............................................................................................................ 37 32. Ytterbium..................................................................................................................................................... 38 33. Yttrium............................................................................................................................................... 39 34. Zinc................................................................................................................................................................ 40 35. Zirconium.............................................................................................................................................................. 41 in IV CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE 1. Spanish moss sample localities and sampling dates................................ E7 2. Analytical limits of detection....................................................................................................................-.-.. 9 3. Chemical composition of Spanish moss samples and samples of soil-rooted plants from the conterminous United States........................................................................................................................................... 43 4. Elements found in concentrations greater than average in Spanish moss samples from four kinds of sites 44 STATISTICAL STUDIES IN FIELD GEOCHEMISTRY AIRBORNE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN SPANISH MOSS By HANSFORD T. SHACKLETTE and JON J. CONNOR ABSTRACT lect airborne materials by their physical structures, Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides L.), collected from its physiological functions, or both. geographic range in Southern United States, was analyzed The use of suitable plants for measuring con­ for 38 chemical elements in 123 samples. Although Spanish centrations of airborne materials provides the ad­ moss is an epiphyte and must obtain all of its element load vantages of (1) an integration of the periodic from the atmosphere, most elements in samples of this plant occur in concentrations similar to those of ordinary soil-rooted fluctuations in amounts of these materials that occur plants. Analyses of Spanish moss samples collected at rural, over relatively long periods of time, and (2) econ­ residential, highway, and industrial locations reflected signifi­ omy in sampling. A disadvantage of using plants, as cant differences in concentrations of metals. Samples from opposed to filtration or direct monitoring, for this industrial and highway locations are characterized as con­ purpose is that analyses of the plants can give esti­ taining greater-than-average amounts of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, and vanadium. The mates only of the relative amounts of airborne ma­ high levels of lead found in some samples from highway loca­ terials at different locations, rather than the amounts tions are especially noteworthy. Many samples from sites near in a known volume of air. the seashore contained greater-than-average amounts of so­ This study reports the use of Spanish moss (Til­ dium that is thought to have been derived from ocean spray. landsia usneoides L.), an epiphyte (commonly called Samples from rural locations commonly contain low concen­ an "air plant") that is common in the Atlantic and trations of the metals usually associated with industrial or Gulf Coastal Plains, for evaluating local and regional urban activity but may contain large amounts of the elements that are ordinary constituents of soil dust. Four of six sam­ variation in airborne materials. Specimens were ples containing detectable
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