The use of bryophytes as pollutant accumulators for monitoring changes in atmospheric deposition of heavy metals in Slovakia started more than 30 years ago. The Slovak survey is part of the ICP Vegetation programme: European surveys of heavy metal accumulation in mosses established in 1980. The surveys are conducted every five years. The last one in 2015/16.

In 1990, in connection with problems of forest dying in Slovakia, was in cooperation with ICP Forest Slovakia established a permanent monitoring net 16x16. For monitoring are sampled pleurocarpous mosses Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum cupressiforme and Dicranum sp. Collected mosses are analysed in Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia by INAA method and in National Forest Centre in Zvolen, Slovakia are analysed N by EA method, Cu, Cd, Pb by ETA AS method.

It is assumed that in the Slovakia a large gradient of the atmospheric deposition load of elements exists because part of the territory belongs to the most polluted area in central Europe known as the ‘Black Triangle II’. 

Analyses from 68 monitoring plots detected (median) in mg.kg^-1: Ag(0.058); Al(706); As(0.456); Au(0.0017); Ba(42,6);  Ca(3490); Cd(0.263); Ce(1.07); Co(0.329); Cr(2.78); Cs(0.192); Cu(9.11); Dy(0.340); Eu(0.053); Fe(672.5); Gd(0.162); Hf(0.091); I(0.73); In(0.014); K(8340); La(0.617); Lu(0.109); Mg(731.5); Mn(342); Mo(0.172);  N(19.75); Na(174.5); Nd(1.415); Ni(2.26); Pb(0.946); Rb(12.4); S(1695); Se(0.223); Sb(0.217); Sc(0.192); Sm(0.098); Sr(15.3); Ta(0.016); Tb(0.013); Th(0.165); Tm(0.037); Ti(48.45); U(0.074); V(1.495); W(0.250); Yb(0.087); Zn(42.95); Zr(6.87).

The marginal hot spots were revealed in eastern part of Slovakia - near dumps of stone chips, manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal product, chemical and military products (Snina, Strážske, Stropkov), Volovské Mts. (Central Spiš), Kremnické and Štiavnické Mts. (nonferrous ores processing and aluminium factories).

In comparison to the average Austrian and Czech values of heavy metal contents in mosses, the Slovak atmospheric deposition loads found to be higher on average. Spatial trends of heavy metal concentrations in mosses were metal-specific. Since 1990 has decreased the concentration of Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb, S, Zn and increased Cd, Mn and N.

References:

Frontasyeva M, Harmens H, Uzhinskiy A, Chaligava O.  2020.  Mosses as biomonitors of air pollution: 2015/2016 survey on heavy metals, nitrogen and POPs in Europe and beyond. (https://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/REPORT-Frontasyeva.pdf)