Seasonal variation of mercury concentration of ancient olive groves of Lebanon

Abstract

This study investigates the seasonality of the mercury (Hg) concentration of olive tree foliage, an iconic tree of the Mediterranean basin. Hg concentrations of foliage, stems, soil surface, and litter were analyzed on a monthly basis in ancient olive trees growing in two groves in Lebanon, Bchaaleh and Kawkaba (1300 and 672 m a.s.l. respectively). A significantly lower concentration was registered in stems (∼7–9 ng g−1) in comparison to foliage (∼35–48 ng g−1) in both sites, with the highest foliage Hg concentration in late winter–early spring and the lowest in summer. It is noteworthy that olive fruits also have low Hg concentrations (∼7–11 ng g−1). The soil has the highest Hg content (∼62–129 ng g−1) likely inherited through the cumulated litter biomass (∼63–76 ng g−1). A good covariation observed between our foliage Hg time series analysis and those of atmospheric Hg concentrations available for southern Italy in the western Mediterranean basin confirms that mercury pollution can be studied through olive trees. Spring sampling is recommended if the objective is to assess the trees' susceptibility to Hg uptake. Our study draws an adequate baseline for the eastern Mediterranean and the region with similar climatic inventories on Hg vegetation uptake, in addition to being a baseline to new studies on olive trees in the Mediterranean to reconstruct regional Hg pollution concentrations in the past and present.