RESPONSE OF SCOTS PINE TO INCREASED EMISSIONS OF POLLUTANTS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

Abstract

In the study, the author determined and analyzed indicators of the geochemical habitat and the state of tree species of plant communities in taiga geosystems being exposed for a long period (more than 50 years) to dust and gas emissions of one of the largest aluminum production enterprises in Siberia. Among the plant species analyzed, Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.) was found to be the most responsive to changes in the geochemical conditions of the habitat as it showed changes not only in its chemical but also in its morphological composition. In the long-term cycle of pollutant inflows, the reaction of Scots pine clearly indicates periods of both reduction and increase in the pollutant loads, which is especially well manifested near the source of emissions. It also reacts quite sensitively to changes in the chemical composition of a substance in space. With a distance away from the aluminum plant, pine needles were found to contain elements that are characteristic of other sources of pollution. In the new geochemical habitat conditions, the pine shows resistance. There were identified associations of elements that it intensely absorbs and those the absorption of which is suppressed. The use of Scots pine as a pollution indicator along with snow cover makes it possible to identify primary polluting agents and their sources, determine and normalize pollutant loads, conduct independent control over the mass of atmospheric emissions and develop recommendations for their reduction.