All photos: Tore F. Berglen, Nilu
The mountain fern moss (Hylocomium splendens) is an excellent environmental indicator. By analyzing moss, it is possible to assess how much pollution it is in the place where it grows. As part of the Interreg Aurora funded project Our Precious Transboundary Waters, the project partner NILU – the Norwegian Climate and Environmental Research Institute – has sampled sites along the Norwegian Russian border in 2025. NILU has with other funding sources, sampled sites earlier in 2008, 2015, and 2020.
In autumn 2025, Norwegian sites were resampled, including Korpfjell mountain, north of Zapoljarnij, where mining continues. The nickel smelter in Nikel, further south, ceased operations in December 2020. Korpfjell is therefore key for tracking pollution trends and environmental recovery after decades of heavy emissions.
View southward from Korpfjellet, photo by Tore F. Berglen, Nilu
One Finnish site, Kirakkajärvi, was also revisited. Last sampled in 2010, it lies only 55 km from Nikel and 70 km from Kirkenes and was previously affected by cross-border pollution.
Preliminary results show nickel (Ni) concentrations remain elevated downwind of emission sources, though levels have dropped by about 90% compared to 2020.
The mountain fern moss (Hylocomium splendens), photo by Tore F. Berglen, Nilu
You can learn more about earlier results (report in Norwegian) Metaller, PCB, PAH og dioksiner i mose i Sør-Varanger Moseundersøkelser 2008, 2015 og 2020 – NILU
How can moss tell us about air pollution and where it comes from?
The mountain fern moss Hylocomium splendens, is often used as an indicator plant for various types of pollution. An indicator plant is a plant that shows what the environment is like, for example, how much nutrients, moisture, or pollution is present.
The moss has no roots. It gets all its nutrients through precipitation and deposition – that is, everything that falls from above and lands on the moss. As a “sampler,” moss doesn’t need electricity or supervision. It is also easy to recognize, and it grows a new “layer” every year. This makes it easy to determine which year each layer represents. Mountain fern moss, in other words, provides a good picture of pollution at a specific location.
Get to know the project Our Precious Transboundary Waters
The project has been appointed as an Operation of Strategic Importance by the Interreg Aurora Programme. This means a project which provides a significant contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the Interreg Aurora Programme.
