Abstract
Trace metals adsorbed onto fine particles can be transported long distances and ultimately deposited in Polar Regions via the cold condensation effect. This study indicated the possible sources of silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb) and zinc (Zn) in soils on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, eastern Tibetan Plateau, and deciphered the effects of vegetation and mountain cold condensation on their distributions with elevation. The metal concentrations in the soils were comparable to other mountains worldwide except the remarkably high concentrations of Cd. Trace metals with high enrichment in the soils were influenced from anthropogenic contributions. Spatially, the concentrations of Cu and Zn in the surface horizons decreased from 2000 to 3700 m a.s.l., and then increased with elevation, whereas other metals were notably enriched in the mid-elevation area (approximately 3000 m a.s.l.). After normalization for soil organic carbon, high concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb and Zn were observed above the timberline. Our results indicated the importance of vegetation in trace metal accumulation in an alpine ecosystem and highlighted the mountain cold trapping effect on trace metal deposition sourced from long-range atmospheric transport.
Highlights
In high mountain areas, the differences in elevation form a marked climatic gradient, which determines the vegetation distribution and soil development, and affects the deposition and storage of trace metals
There is little comparability among these studies, because the elemental accumulation in fresh snow, fern and moss represents a short-time scale process that can be influenced by many factors, such as wind and precipitation in a certain period
The trace elements, especially toxic metals, contained in aerosols are apt to deposit in the high mountain ecosystem as the result of the mountain cold condensation effect
Summary
The differences in elevation form a marked climatic gradient, which determines the vegetation distribution and soil development, and affects the deposition and storage of trace metals. A complete vegetation succession has been formed along this large gradient including broadleaf forests, broadleaf-coniferous forests, coniferous forests, shrub and meadow. This eastern slope is mainly influenced from the Asian monsoons from southerly and southeasterly air mass[12]. The objectives of this work were to investigate the elevation distribution patterns of these trace metals in the soils on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga and to explore the dominant factors controlling their distributions.
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