Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-l4ctd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-07T21:02:49.614Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fossil Carbon Load in Urban Vegetation for Debrecen, Hungary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2019

Tamás Varga Open the ORCID record for Tamás Varga [Opens in a new window] ,
Petra Barnucz ,
István Major ,
Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó ,
A J Timothy Jull Open the ORCID record for A J Timothy Jull [Opens in a new window] ,
Elemér László ,
János Pénzes  and
Mihály Molnár
Tamás Varga*
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
Petra Barnucz
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
István Major
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
A J Timothy Jull
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721USA University of Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Elemér László
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
János Pénzes
Affiliation:
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development Planning, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Mihály Molnár
Affiliation:
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), Debrecen, P.O Box 51, H-4001, Hungary
*
*Corresponding author. Email: varga.tamas@atomki.mta.hu.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Deciduous tree leaf and grass samples were collected in Debrecen, the second largest city in Hungary. The aim of the study was to determine the rate of fossil fuel-derived carbon in urban vegetation. At the locations sampled, C3 and C4 plants close to roads were collected in September 2017. In total, 82 tree and grass leaf samples were gathered at 36 different sampling points all over the city of Debrecen. The radiocarbon (14C) results of the samples were compared to the local urban background atmospheric 14CO2 data to determine the percentage of the fossil fuel-derived carbon in the plants. Based on our results, the average fossil carbon content in the tree and grass leaf samples were 0.9 ± 1.2% and 2.5 ± 2.5%, respectively. The highest fossil carbon content was 9.6 ± 0.6% in a grass and 4.7 ± 0.7% in a tree leaf sample. It appears that the negative fossil carbon content results obtained at urban sampling areas reflect modern carbon emission, where radiocarbon content is higher than the corresponding local background, presumably due burning of recent wood containing bomb 14C in the suburbs as well as other possible sources such as litter decomposition or soil CO2 emission.

Keywords

fossil carbongrassleafradiocarbonvegetation
Type
Conference Paper
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 61 , Issue 5: Radiocarbon 2018 Conference Proceedings Trondheim, Norway, June 17–22, 2018 Part 1 of 2 , October 2019 , pp. 1199 - 1210
Copyright
© 2019 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Selected Papers from the 23rd International Radiocarbon Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 17–22 June, 2018

References

REFERENCES

Alessio, M, Anselmi, S, Conforto, L, Improta, S, Manes, F, Manfra, L. 2002. Radiocarbon as a biomarker of urban pollution in leaves of evergreen species sampled in Rome and in rural areas (Lazio-Central Italy). Atmospheric Environment 36:5405–5416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baydoun, R, Samad, OEL, Nsouli, B, Younes, G. 2015. Measurement of 14C content in leaves near a cement factory in Mount Lebanon. Radiocarbon 57:153–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buzinny, M. 2006. Radioactive graphite dispersion in the environment in the vicinity of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Radiocarbon 48(3):451–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capano, M, Marzaioli, F, Sirignano, C, Altieri, S, Lubritto, C, D’Onofrio, A, Terrasi, F. 2010 14C AMS measurements in three rings to ertimate local fossil CO2 in Bosco Fontana forest (Mantova, Italy). Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 268:1113–1116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, AC, Hainswort, LJ, Sorey, ML, Evans, WC, Southon, JR. 2001. Radiocarbon studies of plant leaves and tree rings from Mammoth Mountain, CA: a long-term record of magmatic CO2 release. Chemical Geology 177:117–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Druffel, ERM, Griffin, S. 1995. Radiocarbon in the tropospheric CO2 and organic materials from selected Northern Hemisphere sites. Radiocarbon 37(3):883–888.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graven, HD. 2015. Impact of fossil fuel emissions on atmospheric radiocarbon and various applications of radiocarbon over this century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112(31):9542–9545.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haszpra, L, Barcza, Z, Davis, KJ, Tarcay, K. 2005. Long-term tall tower carbon dioxide flux monitoring over an area of mixed vegetation, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 132:58–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heal, MR, Naysmith, P, Cook, GT, Xu, S, Duran, TR, Harrison, RM. 2011. Application of 14C analyses to source apportionment of carbonaceous PM2.5 in the UK. Atmospheric Environment 45:2341–2348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hsueh, DY, Krakauer, NY, Randerson, JT, Xu, X, Trumbore, SE, Southon, JR. 2007. Regional patterns of radiocarbon and fossul fuel-derived CO2 in surface air across North America. Geophysical Research Letters 34:L02816CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janovics, R, Futó, I, Molnár, M. 2018. Sealed tube combustion method with MnO2 for AMS 14C measurement. Radiocarbon 60(5):1347–1355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janovics, R, Kern, Z, Güttler, D, Wacker, L, Barnabás, I, Molnár, M. 2013. Radiocarbon impact on a nearby tree of a light-water VVER-type nuclear power plant, Paks, Hungary. Radiocarbon 55(2–3):826–832.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Király, G, editor. 2009. Új magyar füvészkönyv. Magyarország hajtásos növényei. Határozókulcsok. New Hungarian Herbal. The Vascular Plants of Hungary. Identification key. Aggtelek National Park Directorate, Jósvafö: 616Google Scholar
Kuc, T. 1986. Carbon isotopes in atmpospheric CO2 of the Krakow region: a two-year record. Radiocarbon 28(2A):649–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, I, Kromer, B, Hammer, S. 2013. Atmospheric Δ14CO2 trend in Western European background air from 2000 to 2012. Tellus B65(1):20092.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, I, Kromer, B, Schoch-Fischer, H, Bruns, M, Münnich, M, Berdau, D, Vogel, JC, Münnich, K. 1985. 25 years of tropospheric 14C observations in central Europe. Radiocarbon 27(1):1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, I, Hesshaimer, V. 2000. Radiocarbon—a unique tracer of global carbon cycle dynamics. Radiocarbon 42(1):69–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Major, I, Furu, E, Haszpra, L, Kertész, Zs, Molnár, M. 2015. One-year-long continuous and synchronous data set of fossil carbon in atomspheric PM2.5 and carbon dioxide in Debrecen, Hungary. Radiocarbon 57(5):991–1002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Major, I, Haszpra, L, Rinyu, L, Futó, I, Bihari, Á, Hammer, S, Molnár, M. 2018. Temporal variation of atmospheric fossil and modern CO2 excess at a Central European rural tower station between 2008 and 2014. Radiocarbon 60(5):1285–1299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molnár, M, Bujtás, T, Svingor, É, Futó, I, Svetlík, I. 2007. Monitoring of atmospheric excess 14C around Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary, Radiocarbon 49(2):1031–1043.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molnár, M, Haszpra, L, Svingor, É, Major, I, Svetlík, I. 2010a. Atmospheric fossil fuel CO2 measurement using a field unit in a Central European city during the winter of 2008/09. Radiocarbon 52(2–3):835–845.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molnár, M, Janovics, R, Major, I, Orsovszki, J, Gönczi, R, Veres, M, Leonard, AG, Castle, SM, Lange, TE, Wacker, L, Hajdas, I, Jull, AJT. 2013. Status report of the new AMS 14C sample preparation lab of the Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies (Debrecen, Hungary). Radiocarbon 55(2–3):665–676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molnár, M, Major, I, Haszpra, L, Svetlik, I, Svingor, É, Veres, M. 2010b. Fossil fuel CO2 estimation by atmospheric 14C measurement and CO2 mixing ratios in the city of Debrecen, Hungary. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 286(2):471–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molnár, VÉ, Tóthmérész, B, Szabó, S, Simon, E. 2018. Urban tree leaves’ chlorophyll-a content as a proxy of urbanization. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 11(6):665–671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ndeye, M, Sène, M, Diop, D, Saliège, J-F. 2017. Anthropogenic CO2 in the Dakar (Senegal) urban area deduced from 14C contenctration in tree leaves. Radiocarbon 59(3):1009–1019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nydal, R, Lövseth, K. 1983. Tracing bomb 14C in the atmosphere 1962–1980. Journal of Geophysical Research 88(6):3621–3642.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OKIR. 2017. Országos Környezetvédelmi Információs Rendszer/National Environmental Information System, Hungary. Available at: http://web.okir.hu/sse/?group=PRTR.Google Scholar
Park, JH, Hong, W, Xu, X, Park, G, Sung, KS, Sung, K, Lee, JG, Nakanishi, T, Park, H-S. 2015 The distribution of Δ14C in Korea from 2010 to 2013. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B361:609–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pawelczyk, S, Pazdur, A. 2004. Carbon isotopic composition of tree rings as a tool for biomonitoring CO2 level. Radiocarbon 46(2):701–719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quarta, G, Rizzo, GA, D’elia, M, Calcagnile, L. 2007. Spatial and temporal reconstruction of the dispersion of anthropogenic fossil CO2 by 14C AMS measurements of plant material. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B259:421–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rakowski, AZ. 2011. Radiocarbon method in monitoring of fossil fuel emission. Geochronometria 38(4):314–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riley, WJ, Hsueh, DY, Randerson, JT, Fischer, ML, Hatch, ML, Pataki, DE, Wang, W, Goulden, ML. 2008. Where do fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions from California go? An analysis based on radiocarbon observations and an atmospheric transport model. Journal of Geophysical Research 113(G4):G04002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rinyu, L, Molnár, M, Major, I, Nagy, T, Veres, M, Kimák, Á, Wacker, L, Synal, H-A. 2013. Optimization of sealed tube graphitization method for environmental 14C studies using MICADAS. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 294:270–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shore, JS, Cook, GT. 1995. The 14C content of modern vegetation samples from the flanks of the Katla volcano, Southern Iceland. Radiocarbon 37(2):525–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simon, E, Baranyai, E, Braun, M, Cserháti, C, Fábián, I, Tóthmérész, B. 2014. Elemental concentrations in deposited dust on leaves along an urbanization gradient. Science of the Total Environment 490:514–520.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Southon, JR, Magana, AL. 2010. A comparison of cellulose extraction and ABA pretreatment methods for AMS 14C dating of ancient wood. Radiocarbon 52(2–3):1371–1379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stenström, KE, Skog, G, Georgiadou, E, Grenberg, J, Johansson, A, 2011. A guide to radiocarbon units and calculations: Lund University [Sweden], Department of Physics, Division of Nuclear Physics Internal Report LUNFD6(NFFR-3111)/1-17/(2011).Google Scholar
Suess, HE. 1955. Radiocarbon concentration in modern wood. Science 122:415–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trumbore, S. 2000. Age of soil organic matter and soul respiration: radiocarbon constraints on belowground C dynamics. Ecological Applications 10(2):399–411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varga, T, Major, I, Janovics, R, Kurucz, J, Veres, M, Jull, AJT, Péter, M, Molnár, M. 2018. High-precision biogenic fraction analyses of liquid fuels by 14C AMS at HEKAL. Radiocarbon 60(5):1317–1325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veres, M, Hertelendi, E, Uchrin, Gy, Csaba, E, Barnabás, I, Ormai, P, Volent, G, Futó, I. 1995. Concentration of radiocarbon and its chemical forms in gaseous effluents, environmental air, nuclear waste and primary water of a pressurized water reactor power plant in Hungary. Radiocarbon 37(2):497–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xi, XT, Ding, XF, Fu, DP, Zhou, LP, Liu, KX. 2013. Δ14C level of annual plants and fossil derived CO2 distribution across different regions of China. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 294:515–519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, W, Wu, S, Huo, W, Xiong, X, Cheng, P, Lu, X, Niu, Z. 2014. Tracing fossil fuel CO2 using Δ14C in Xi’an City, China. Atmospheric Environment 94:538–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar