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Spatial and Temporal Trends of Trace Elements in Tree Cores Along the Industrial Mahoning River, Northeast Ohio

Campana, Dalton
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1578581272382014

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science in Environmental Science, Youngstown State University, Department of Physics, Astronomy, Geology and Environmental Sciences.
Waterways throughout the industrialized world have suffered from long histories of pollution and abuse. The Mahoning River in Northeast Ohio is considered one of the five most contaminated rivers in the United States, and has received large amounts of industrial discharges for more than a century, often severely impacting the resident biota and posing risks to the human population of its surroundings. The major objective of this thesis was to measure trace element concentrations in tree cores of silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) in the Mahoning River riparian zone, by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), to assess spatio-temporal patterns of metal contamination that could have value as a bio-monitor. Three sites were selected within the industrialized zone of the river between Girard OH and Lowellville OH, with a fourth reference site located below the Kirwan Reservoir (West Branch State Park) upstream from historical manufacturing activities. Cores were taken from trees at breast height (1.37 m), and carefully handled to avoid introducing foreign metals (e.g. sanded with non-metal-oxide abrasives, handled with gloves, stored in cotton-bond paper wraps). Cores were sectioned into 10-year increments and then digested and analyzed by ICP. Tree core segments served as the experimental unit for all analyses, and trace element concentrations were the dependent variables. Categorical independent variables consisted of tree species and river site, and core segment age served as a covariate. Trace element concentrations, which covaried significantly, were subjected to data reduction by Principle Components Analysis (PCA) ordination. PCA scores were analyzed by either two-factor MANCOVA (where two axes were informative) or two-factor ANCOVA for a single axis. Interestingly, considering the long industrial legacy of the Mahoning River, metal concentrations in tree cores did not significantly reflect sampling sites, and thus proximity to historical manufacturing facilities. There also was no statistical evidence of temporal patterns of trace elements within cores. Difficulties in identifying trees dating to the industrial era and of extracting long enough cores pose a challenge to such research. However, there were distinct trace element accumulation differences between the two species examined. Sycamores displayed higher concentrations of dietary essential elements (e.g. P, S, Mg), but lower concentrations of dietary-non-essential, and potentially contaminant, metals (e.g. Pb, Cd, Cu) than did silver maples. These bioaccumulation differences between the two species could reflect unexplored physiological differences that might affect trace element dynamics.
Thomas Diggins, PhD (Advisor)
Felicia Armstrong, PhD (Committee Member)
Alan Jacobs, PhD (Committee Member)
Scott Denham, MS (Committee Member)
105 p.
Biology; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Forestry; Plant Biology; Plant Sciences
dendroanalysis; metal contaminants; tree cores; Mahoning River

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Campana, D. (2019). Spatial and Temporal Trends of Trace Elements in Tree Cores Along the Industrial Mahoning River, Northeast Ohio [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1578581272382014

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Campana, Dalton. Spatial and Temporal Trends of Trace Elements in Tree Cores Along the Industrial Mahoning River, Northeast Ohio. 2019. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1578581272382014.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Campana, Dalton. "Spatial and Temporal Trends of Trace Elements in Tree Cores Along the Industrial Mahoning River, Northeast Ohio." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1578581272382014

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ysu1578581272382014
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This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.