Sphagnum mosses from 21 ombrotrophic bogs in the athabasca bituminous sands region show no significant atmospheric contamination of "heavy metals".

Sphagnum moss was collected from 21 ombrotrophic (rain-fed) peat bogs surrounding open pit mines and upgrading facilities of Athabasca bituminous sands in Alberta (AB). In comparison to contemporary Sphagnum moss from four bogs in rural locations of southern Germany (DE), the AB mosses yielded lower concentrations of Ag, Cd, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Tl, similar concentrations of Mo, but greater concentrations of Ba, Th, and V. Except for V, in comparison to the "cleanest", ancient peat samples ever tested from the northern hemisphere (ca.

Titanium in ombrotrophic Sphagnum mosses from various peat bogs of Germany and Belgium.

Titanium concentrations and Ti inventories (total Ti in the sample) in living Sphagnum mosses from the surfaces of eight ombrotrophic peat bogs of five different regions of Germany and Belgium were studied over a period of two years (1995-7). Six to ten peat moss samples with a given surface area (100 cm2) and length (5 cm) were collected at different sites in the peat bogs studied several times (every six weeks to three months) during a year. Variability of Ti concentrations and inventories were determined within each peat bog for the species S.

Suggested protocol for collecting, handling and preparing peat cores and peat samples for physical, chemical, mineralogical and isotopic analyses.

For detailed reconstructions of atmospheric metal deposition using peat cores from bogs, a comprehensive protocol for working with peat cores is proposed. The first step is to locate and determine suitable sampling sites in accordance with the principal goal of the study, the period of time of interest and the precision required. Using the state of the art procedures and field equipment, peat cores are collected in such a way as to provide high quality records for paleoenvironmental study.