The availability of Picea pungens Engelm. installation in monitoring the change of heavy metal pollution in urban planning studies

Today, air pollution is one of the most important problems on a global scale, it has increased to threaten human health in some cities, and has reached a level that causes millions of people to die every year worldwide. Heavy metals have a special importance among air pollution components. Because heavy metals can remain in nature for a long time without deterioration, and their concentration in air, water and soil is constantly increasing due to anthropogenic factors. In addition, they tend to bioaccumulate in living bodies and some of them are toxic or carcinogenic even at low concentrations. It is stated that even those that are the basic building blocks for living organisms are harmful at high concentrations, and that they can cause serious health problems if taken by inhalation. Therefore, monitoring the change of heavy metal concentrations is of great importance in many aspects. In this study, the possibilities of using blue spruce (Picea pungens) needles and branches, whose needles can remain on the tree for a long time, and whose needle and branch ages can be calculated, as a biomonitor for determining the change in heavy metal concentration in the recent past were investigated. In the scope of the study, a total of 17 elements (Na, K, Ca, Al, Fe, Zn, Ba, P, Mg, As, Mn, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni and Cr) changes by year and organ were evaluated. As a result of the study, it was determined that the change of Ca, Ba, As, Co and Cr concentrations between the needle and branches according to the average values was statistically insignificant (p> 0.05). When evaluated on a yearly basis, it was determined that the concentration of Cd, Co, Ca, K elements only in 2014 and P element in the needle and branches did not differ significantly in 2018, except that the element levels between the needle and branches differed statistically significantly in all years. In the As element, it was determined that the change in all years except 2015 was not statistically significant. When the concentrations of the elements in the needles and branches were examined, it was found that the element concentrations were generally high in some years in the branches and in some years in the needles. The results of the study revealed that the heavy metal concentrations subject to the study changed significantly depending on the organ and organ age. This result shows that the needles and branches of the species are suitable for monitoring the change in heavy metal concentrations. The method used in the study can be considered as a sustainable method that does not cause vital damage to the tree from which the sample was taken. KEYWORDS: Heavy metal, Blue Spruce, Picea pungens, Ankara.