Heavy metals and acidic components in total deposited matter in Sibenik and National Park Kornati, Croatia.

This article presents the results of 6 years (1999-2004) of monitoring acidic components (fluoride, chloride, nitrate, sulfate) and heavy metals (lead, cadmium, thallium) in total deposited matter (TDM) in the town of Sibenik and the National Park Kornati, Croatia, in order to determine their levels, spatial and temporal variations, and possible emission source. Bulk deposition samples were collected using the Bergerhoff samplers. TDM matter was determined gravimetrically. Acidic anions were analyzed using ion chromatography. Metallic components were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Results show that the levels of measured pollutants were relatively low compared to those reported in other investigations. Statistical analysis indicates that the measured pollutants originate from several sources such as resuspended soil, industry, road dust, traffic, and secondary aerosols as the most important. The levels of TDM show a slightly increasing trend at all sampling sites. A significant increasing trend in the levels of nitrate and sulfate in TDM could be the consequence of increasing traffic activity and urbanization. The significant increasing trend in the ratio between nitrate and sulfate in TDM indicates that the nitrate and sulfate relative contribution to acidification is increasing. The level of heavy metals in TDM was in order of lead > thallium > cadmium at all sampling sites with slightly decreasing trend.