The Košetice Observatory was established in 1988 and is operated by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI). The station serves as a part of the Central and Eastern European region of the Stockholm Convention‘s Global Monitoring Plan (GMP) for persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

This observatory is a part of the EMEP (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Programme) background monitoring program. Košetice observatory represents a typical Central European background site.

Košetice observatory in the Czech Republic is the only site where POPs are also determined in other environmental matrices, such as surface waters, sediments, soils, mosses, and needles.

POPs monitoring program was established in Košetice in 1988, and high volume air samples are collected once a week for 24 hours. Polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and polyaromatic hydrocarbons are determined in all samples in the laboratories of the RECETOX, Masaryk University, Brno. This provides most complete data on POPs contamination of the background atmosphere applicable to all Central and Eastern European region.

Besides the air, all wet deposition events are sampled, and samples of other environmental matrices are collected and analysed yearly.

Data from an integrated monitoring in the Košetice observatory are used to assess the long-term trends in the European background levels of persistent organic pollutants in various environmental matrices. As can be seen from the results, most of selected compounds exhibit decreasing trends.

Results of the project proved that the long-term background monitoring is not only an excellent way to study the regional levels and trends but also a powerful tool for evaluation of an impact of various local, regional or global events – from industrial accidents to natural disasters. As such, it has a crucial role in the effectiveness evaluation of various global measures and international conventions focused on persistent toxic substances, reduction of their emissions and environmental impacts.

This dataset includes data for a period from 1988 to 2020 and is planned to be updated every 6 months, in June and December.

More information about Košetice observatory

https://www.recetox.muni.cz/en/services/recetox-central-laboratories/environmental-monitoring-networks

https://www.actris-ri.cz/en/menu/naok/kosetice-observatory/

POPs analysed within Košetice project (CAS number in brackets) are:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

naphthalene (91-20-3), acenaphthylene (208-96-8), acenaphthene (83-32-9), fluorene (86-73-7), phenanthrene (85-01-8), anthracene (120-12-7), fluoranthene (206-44-0), pyrene (129-00-0), benzo(a)anthracene (56-55-3), chrysene (218-01-9), benzo(b)fluoranthene (205-99-2), benzo(k)fluoranthene (207-08-9), benzo(a)pyrene (50-32-8), indeno(123cd)pyrene (193-39-5), dibenz(ah)anthracene (53-70-3), benzo(ghi)perylene (191-24-2), biphenyl (92-52-4), retene (483-65-8), benzo(b)fluorene (243-17-4), benzo-naphto-thiophene (239-35-0), benzo(ghi)fluoranthene (203-12-3), cyclopenta(cd)pyrene (27208-37-3), triphenylene (217-59-4), benzo(j)fluoranthene (205-82-3), benzo(e)pyrene (192-97-2), perylene (198-55-0), dibenz(ac)anthracene (215-58-7), anthanthrene (191-26-4), coronene (191-07-1)

Indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

PCB 118 (31508-00-6), PCB 28 (7012-37-5), PCB 52 (35693-99-3), PCB 101 (37680-73-2), PCB 138 (35065-28-2), PCB 153 (35065-27-1), PCB 180 (35065-29-3)

Basic organochlorine pesticides (OCPs)

alpha-HCH (319-84-6), beta-HCH (319-85-7), gamma-HCH (58-89-9), delta-HCH (319-86-8), o,p'-DDE (3424-82-6), p,p'-DDE (72-55-9), o,p'-DDD (53-19-0), p,p'-DDD (72-54-8), o,p'-DDT (789-02-6), p,p'-DDT (50-29-3), PeCB (608-93-5), HCB (118-74-1)

Elements and metals

As (7440-38-2), Cd (7440-43-9), Co (7440-48-4), Cr (7440-47-3), Cu (7440-50-8), Hg (7439-97-6), Mn (7439-96-5), Mo (7439-98-7), Ni (7440-02-0), Pb (7439-92-1), Sb (7440-36-0), V (7440-62-2), Zn (7440-66-6)

Currently used pesticides (CUPs)

acetochlor (34256-82-1), alachlor (15972-60-8), atrazine (1912-24-9), azinphos methyl (86-50-0), carbaryl (63-25-2), carbendazim (10605-21-7), clopyralid (1702-17-6), diazinon (333-41-5), dimethachlor (50563-36-5), dimethoate (60-51-5), disulfoton (298-04-4), diuron (330-54-1), fenitrothion (122-14-5), fenoxaprop ethyl (9015-56-9), fenpropimorph (67564-91-4), florasulam (145701-23-), fluroxypyr (69377-81-7), fonofos (944-22-9), chlorpyrifos (2921-88-2), chlorsulphuron (64902-72-3), chlortoluron (15545-48-9), isoproturon (34123-59-6), malathion (121-75-5), metamitron (41394-05-2), metazachlor (67129-08-2), metholachlor (51218-45-2), metribuzin (21087-64-9), parathion metyl (298-00-0), pendimethalin (40487-42-1), phosmet (732-11-6), pirimicarb (23103-98-2), prochloraz (67747-09-5), propiconazole (60207-90-1), pyrazon (1698-60-8), simazine (122-34-9), tebuconazole (107534-96-3), temephos (3383-96-8), terbufos (13071-79-9), terbuthylazine (5915-41-3), tribenuron-metyl (101200-48-0)

Dioxin-like PCBs

PCB 77 (32598-13-3), PCB 81 (70362-50-4), PCB 105 (32598-14-4), PCB 114 (74472-37-0), PCB 118 (31508-00-6), PCB 123 (65510-44-3), PCB 126 (57465-28-8), PCB 156 (38380-08-4), PCB 157 (69782-90-7), PCB 167 (52663-72-6), PCB 169 (32774-16-6), PCB 189 (39635-31-9)

HBCDs

alpha-HBCD (134237-50-6), beta-HBCD (134237-51-7), gamma-HBCD (134237-52-8), delta-HBCD (3194-55-6)

Novel BFRs

alpha-TBCO (3194-57-8), alpha-TBECH (3322-93-8), anti-DP (135821-74-8), TBP-BAE (NA), beta-TBCO (3194-57-9), beta-TBECH (3322-93-9), BTBPE (37853-59-1), DBDPE (84852-53-9), TBP-DBPE (35109-60-5), HBB (87-82-1), DBHCTD (51936-55-1), PBBZ (NA), PBEB (85-22-3), PBT (87-83-2), TBX (23488-38-2), syn-DP (135821-03-3), TBCT (39569-21-6), T23BPIC (52434-90-9)

OCPs

heptachlor (76-44-8), heptachlor epoxide cis- (= exo, B) (1024-57-3), heptachlor epoxide trans- (= endo, A) (28044-83-9), aldrin (309-00-2), dieldrin (60-57-1), endrin (72-20-8), endrin aldehyde (7421-93-4), endrin ketone (53494-70-5), isodrin (465-73-6), oxychlordane (27304-13-8), trans-Chlordane (= gamma) (5103-74-2), cis-Chlordane (= alpha) (5103-71-9), endosulfan I (= alpha) (959-98-8), endosulfan II (= beta) (33213-65-9), endosulfansulfate (1031-07-8), chlordecone (143-50-0), methoxychlor (72-43-5), mirex (2385-85-5)

PCDDs/Fs

2378-TCDF (51207-31-9), 12378-PeCDF (57117-41-6), 23478-PeCDF (57117-31-4), 123478-HxCDF (70648-26-9), 123678-HxCDF (57117-44-9), 234678-HxCDF (60851-34-5), 123789-HxCDF (72918-21-9), 1234678-HpCDF (67562-39-4), 1234789-HpCDF (55673-89-7), OCDF (39001-02-0), 2378-TCDD (1746-01-6), 12378-PeCDD (40321-76-4), 123478-HxCDD (39227-28-6), 123678-HxCDD (57653-85-7), 123789-HxCDD (19408-74-3), 1234678-HpCDD (35822-46-9), OCDD (3268-87-9)

PBBs

moBB 3 (92-66-0), diBB 15 (92-86-4), triBB 18 (NA), teBB 52 (NA), peBB 101 (NA), hxBB 153 (59080-40-9), hpBB 180 (67733-52-2), ocBB 194 (67889-00-3), noBB 206 (69278-62-2), deBB 209 (NA)

PBDEs

PBDE 28 (41318-75-6), PBDE 47 (5436-43-1), PBDE 66 (189084-61-5), PBDE 85 (182346-21-0), PBDE 99 (60348-60-9), PBDE 100 (189084-64-8), PBDE 153 (68631-49-2), PBDE 154 (207122-15-4), PBDE 183 (207122-16-5), PBDE 209 (1163-19-5)

PFCs

PFBA (375-22-4), PFPA (2706-90-3), PFHxA (307-24-4), PFHpA (375-85-9), PFOA (335-67-1), PFNA (375-95-1), PFDA (335-76-2), PFUnDA (4234-23-5), PFDoDA (307-55-1), PFTrDA (72629-94-8), PFTeDA (376-06-7), PFBS (375-73-5), PFHxS (355-46-4), PFHpS (375-92-8), PFOS (1763-23-1), PFDS (335-77-3), MeFOSA (31506-32-8), EtFOSA (4151-50-2), FOSA (754-91-6), MeFOSE (24448-09-7), EtFOSE (1691-99-2)

Microbiological parameters

microbial biomass, extracellular extractable carbon, basal soil respiration, substrate-induced respiration