Comparing early twentieth century and present-day atmospheric pollution in SW France: A story of lichens

Lichens have long been known to be good indicators of air quality and atmospheric deposition. Xanthoria parietina was selected to investigate past (sourced from a herbarium) and present-day trace metal pollution in four sites from South-West France (close to Albi). Enrichment factors, relationships between elements and hierarchical classification indicated that the atmosphere was mainly impacted by coal combustion (as shown by As, Pb or Cd contamination) during the early twentieth century, whereas more recently, another mixture of pollutants (e.g. Sb, Sn, Pb and Cu) from local factories and car traffic has emerged. The Rare Earth Elements (REE) and other lithogenic elements indicated a higher dust content in the atmosphere in the early twentieth century and a specific lithological local signature. In addition to long-range atmospheric transport, local urban emissions had a strong impact on trace element contamination registered in lichens, particularly for contemporary data.

► We compared metal concentrations registered in contemporary and early 1900's lichens.
► In the past, As, Pb and Cd were enriched due to coal combustion.
► Nowadays, a new mixture of enriched contaminants (Sb, Sn, Pb and Cu) was evidenced.
► REE originated from local bedrock and proved an increased dust deposition in the past.
► Lichens recorded both local and long-range atmospheric contamination.