Learning more about the benefits of moss. It is amazing what it can do besides just looking so tranquil and gorgeous.
Mossy lead-detector
With the environmental clean-ups of the last several decades, the amount of toxic lead we’re exposed to on a daily basis has dropped significantly. But lead is still present in the environment: in old paint, in soil, and as it turns out, strung on utility poles overhead. Up until the 1950s, it was common practice to sheath telephone cables in lead to protect them from the elements. Some of these cables are still around in older parts of U.S. cities, including Portland. And new research suggests they are slowly releasing the harmful metal (which is particularly harmful to children) into the surrounding environment.
Scientists at Oregon State University are analyzing lead levels in Portland neighborhoods using an air monitoring system that’s found in nature: tree moss. The plant collects all of its nutrients from the atmosphere and, in the process, absorbs pollutants. And because moss is pretty much everywhere, it’s relatively easy to test samples from hundreds of locations to track down sources of pollution. A previous study by the U.S. Forest Service managed to trace high cadmium concentrations in urban moss to two stained-glass manufacturers in Portland.
This time, the OSU researchers found that lead levels in the moss samples from neighborhoods with lead-sheathed cables were more than two times higher than the samples from neighborhoods without them. They also concluded that the lead can move around in the environment, likely when the contaminated soil underneath the cables gets picked up by the wind.
That's all really interesting. In so many ways. I never thought about lead moving around to that extent - and the concept of detecting it in the moss is so clever. It all added a wonderful depth to your image.
Interesting information. For me, moss is a great water reservoir. When it is dry, it is where the social life of insects takes place. And when it is raining, it absorbs water and prevents floods.
Your info certainly made me think!