Kamel Khalil ⁽¹⁾*, Ali Thabeet ⁽²⁾ and Diana Hamad ⁽¹⁾

(1). Department of Environmental prevention, Higher Institute for Environmental Researches, Tishreen University, Lattika, Syria.

(2). Department of Renewable Natural Resources and Ecology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Kamel Khalil. E-mail: kamelkhalil@tishreen.edu.sy)

Received: 9/10/2021              Accepted: 23/02/2022

Abstract: 

The aim of this research is to estimate the values of some heavy metal elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb) accumulated in the annual tree rings of Pinus brutia Ten. Using Dendrochemistry techniques. Two sites were selected in Baniyas area (Al-Daraykiyah and Mehwarati) and control site in a forest near Baluran Dam (Lattakia). Five trees were selected from each site, and one core was taken from each tree in 2018. The cores were subjected to Cross-dating process, and were divided into /3/ Periods: the first one is from the year of planting trees in 1972 until the start of operation of the Banias refinery in 1982. The second one is from the start of operation in 1983 until the beginning of the crisis in Syria in 2010. The third period is the crisis period (2011-2018). By /3/ replications for each period. The concentrations of heavy metals were estimated by the atomic absorption device at the Higher Institute for Environmental Research (Tishreen University/Lattakia).The results showed that the element accumulation trend as a general average was as follows: In Al-Daraykiyah site: [Zn (17.74) > Cu (10.02) > Mn (8.43) > Ni (3.58) > Pb (0.34) ]. In Mehwarati site: [Zn (20.15) > Cu (8.56) > Mn (8.26) > Ni (3.32) > Pb (0.34)]. The values of elements (Zn, Cu, Ni) were within the normal limits for their presence in the plant, and the values of  (Mn, Pb) were lower. The results also showed an increase in the accumulation of elements in the third period, and it was generally higher in Mehwarati site for (Zn, Ni, and Pb), while the concentrations of (Cu, Mn) were higher in Al-Daraykiyah site. The results also recorded the values of the enrichment factor <1 in the third period for (Zn, Mn, Ni, Pb) in Mehwarti and Al-Daraykiyah sites, while the value of the enrichment factor (EF) was >1 only for Cu in Mehwarti site. The heavy metal elements were associated with each other with significant correlations, except for Cu which was not associated with any other element. It is concluded from this study the possibility of using tree rings in the biological monitoring of pollutants during very long periods of time, and herein lies the importance of Dendrochemistry.

Keywords: Pinus brutia, Dendrochemistry, Tree rings, Heavy metals, Baniyas, Syria.

Full paper in Arabic: pdf