First steps in evaluating the role of wind-blown dust in moss biomonitoring

Abstract

In order to investigate the influence of the local geochemistry on the spatial integration of trace elements in biomonitors, as well as to determine the effectiveness of the biomonitoring method in the assessment of the quality of atmospheric air in areas with different physical and geographical conditions, moss samples were collected in the agricultural and mountainous regions of Georgia. Hypnum cupressiforme was chosen as the biomonitor species for this study, as it was already used in the 2020 moss survey conducted in the Republic of Moldova.