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Contaminated Forests pp 123–132Cite as

Airborne Heavy Metals over Europe: Emissions, Long-Range Transport and Deposition Fluxes to Natural Ecosystems

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Part of the book series: NATO Science Series ((ASEN2,volume 58))

Abstract

This paper presents a brief review of the processes by which airborne heavy metals are transported from the main emission areas in Europe and become subject to deposition and absorption into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems with subsequent transport and transformation within the biotic and abiotic media that comprise these ecosystems. Results from numerical simulation models capable of simulating long-range transport of heavy metals over Europe together with measurement data of heavy metal concentrations in air and precipitation and the corresponding dry and wet deposition fluxes are reported. European wide inventories of anthropogenic heavy metal emissions based on location and capacity of their dominating source categories such as fossil fuel burning in power plants, industrial and residential combustion, waste incineration and road traffic are briefly described. Emission reduction scenarios with respect to introduction of lead free gasoline are outlined.

The critical gaps of knowledge on heavy metals in the atmosphere are identified focusing on uncertainties associated with emission fluxes in Eastern Europe and the scarcity of measurement data in that area. Future research is needed to estimate the effects of emission reductions on deposition fluxes of heavy metals to sensitive ecosystems such as forested areas in Europe is recommended. Special emphasis is placed on mercury, lead and cadmium which have been defined within the European convention on long-range transboundary air pollution of the United Nations-Economic Commission Europe (UN-ECE) to be the priority heavy metals of concern.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. GKSS Research Centre, Institute of Hydrophysics Max-Planck-Strasse, D-21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    G. Petersen

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  1. G. Petersen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University and Menzie-Cura and Associates, Inc., USA

    Igor Linkov

  2. University of Pittsburgh, USA

    William R. Schell

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Petersen, G. (1999). Airborne Heavy Metals over Europe: Emissions, Long-Range Transport and Deposition Fluxes to Natural Ecosystems. In: Linkov, I., Schell, W.R. (eds) Contaminated Forests. NATO Science Series, vol 58. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4694-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4694-4_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5739-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4694-4

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