Site-specific investigation and spatial modeling of canopy drip effect on element concentrations in moss.

In this study, the canopy drip effect on the exposure of forests to atmospheric deposition of potentially toxic metals and nitrogen (N) and element accumulation was investigated. Thereby, the respective element concentrations of metals and N in moss specimens were investigated by example of North-Western Germany. To this end, on the one hand, the concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, Ni, Sb, V, Zn, and N in mosses sampled under, outside, and at the edge of forest canopies were examined for statistical significant differences. On the other hand, vegetation structures parameterizing the canopy drip effect were quantified by use of information collected, in addition to the element data, at each moss sampling site. The statistical relations between ratios of vegetation parameters and ratios of element concentrations were modeled by regression analysis, and the respective element concentration in moss was geostatistically estimated and mapped for unsampled locations throughout Germany. This article tackles regression models with R