Search results for "Topsoil"
showing 10 items of 77 documents
Shoot accumulation of several trace elements in native plant species from contaminated soils in the Peruvian Andes
2012
Abstract Metal mining gives access to very important resources but contributes to severe and diverse environmental problems. Until recently, little has been known about the remediation of mining sites in Latin America using metallophytes. The present study was designed to identify and characterize spontaneously growing heavy metal tolerant plant species in the area around the polymetallic Carolina mine in Hualgayoc (Cajamarca, Peru). The aim was to find species that are potentially useful for phytoremediation. Plants and soils were sampled and analysed for concentrations of As, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and Ti. The Translocation Factor (TF) and the Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) were determined and used …
The spatial dynamics of atmospheric pollution in Latvia and the Baltic Republics, as measured in mosses, topsoil and precipitation
1994
Atmospheric pollution in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania has been mapped using measurements of pollutant concentrations in mosses, topsoil and precipitation. Air masses from western Europe deposit industrial pollutants in the Baltic region and concentrations depend on meteorological conditions. Superimposed on this background is the pattern of deposits from local sources. Large areas receive neutral to basic precipitation due to cement industries and fly ash emissions from fossil fuel combustion. The burning of oil-shale in NE Estonia results in precipitation with pH values over 7.0, and high concentrations of V, Fe, and Cd. Heavy metal concentrations in the topsoil a…
Data quality oriented procedure, for detailed mapping of heavy metals in urban topsoil as an approach to human health risk assessment
2021
Abstract Urban soils' health is important to the community because of the soils' potential use for recreational activities. A data quality-oriented approach to sampling design is proposed for performing soil representative surveys that gives support to defensible and statistically-based decisions. Krowoderski park in Cracow (Poland) was selected as a study case to investigate heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and to assess human risk exposure according to simulated scenarios. Statistical power was computed for optimizing the number of samples to compare HMs concentration against legal upper tolerance levels (LUTL). The samples' location was iteratively designed as random spatial distribution …
Heavy metals in urban soils: a case study from the city of Palermo (Sicily), Italy.
2002
Concentrations of V, Mn, Cd, Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg and Sb were measured on 70 topsoil samples collected from green areas and parks in the city of Palermo (Sicily) in order to: (1) assess the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment; (2) discriminate natural and anthropic contributions; and (3) identify possible sources of pollution. Mineralogy, physico-chemical parameters, and major element contents of the topsoils were determined to highlight the influence of 'natural' features on the heavy metal concentrations and their distribution. Medians of Pb, Zn, Cu and Hg concentrations of the investigated urban soils are 202, 138, 63 and 0.68 mgkg(-1), respectively. These v…
Short-term low-severity spring grassland fire impacts on soil extractable elements and soil ratios in Lithuania
2017
Abstract Spring grassland fires are common in boreal areas as a consequence of slash and burn agriculture used to remove dry grass to increase soil nutrient properties and crop production. However, few works have investigated fire impacts on these grassland ecosystems, especially in the immediate period after the fire. The objective of this work was to study the short-term impacts of a spring grassland fire in Lithuania. Four days after the fire we established a 400 m2 sampling grid within the burned area and in an adjacent unburned area with the same topographical, hydrological and pedological characteristics. We collected topsoil samples immediately after the fire (0 months), 2, 5, 7 and …
Global patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil
2007
Abstract Recent findings suggest a higher natural contribution to PAH concentrations in soil than previously thought. I hypothesized that the PAH pattern in soil is dominated by two main types, which are indicative of background conditions on the one side (i.e., by biological and diffuse PAHs) and a strong impact by atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic emissions on the other side. To test this hypothesis, concentrations of 20 PAHs in 225 topsoil samples from 12 geographic regions were evaluated. The Σ20PAHs concentrations ranged between 4.8 and 186,000 μg kg− 1. In soils with low concentrations of Σ20PAHs, naphthalene (NAPH), phenanthrene (PHEN), and perylene (PERY), together defined as …
Characteristics of current roadside pollution using test-monitoring plots
2014
Abstract The aim of the study was the qualitative recognition of the existing roadside pollutants deposited in topsoils located close to roads with high traffic volume. So far, the studies have helped to determine the content of pollutants that accumulated over a long period of time. Traditionally, it has been difficult to distinguish between roadside pollution and pollution from other industrial sources. In order to avoid such problems and to accurately recognize present threats originating from road traffic, test-monitoring plots were installed in Poland (Gliwice and Opole), Germany (Tubingen, Ulm and Boblingen), Finland (Helsinki), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and China (Lanzhou). To install th…
The combined effect of phytostabilization and different amendments on remediation of soils from post-military areas
2019
Army bases and battle fields are areas of high pollution due to the chemicals released there. Soils in these areas suffer from these uses of the land, and ecosystem services are affected. Although, in the 20th century, the production of bombs and the locations of battle fields and army bases were widespread, there is little research on the impact of war on nature. Moreover, there is a need to rehabilitate the disturbed soils. The contents and ecological risks of Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr in the topsoil from a post-military area (north-eastern Poland) were investigated. In addition, a vegetation experiment was performed with the technique of aided phytostabilization on soils from the study …
The contamination legacy of a decommissioned iron smelter in the Italian Alps
2018
The economically important activity of metal processing can tend to contribute to the degradation of the environment. Smelting is an important source of contaminants, dispersing large quantities of potentially toxic elements (PTE) and coproducts into the environment. Soils in the vicinity of smelters frequently contain high concentrations of PTE. In terms of the quantities processed, the major PTE are iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn); of these Cu, Pb and Zn are, potentially, highly hazardous elements. The general problem addressed by this study is to determine if the PTE concentration in the soils of an area downwind from a decommissioned iron…
Soil organic carbon stocks assessment in Mediterranean natural areas: A comparison of entire soil profiles and soil control sections
2015
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important part of the global carbon (C) cycle. In addition, SOC is a soil property subject to changes and highly variable in space and time. Over time, some researches have analyzed entire soil profile (ESP) by pedogenetic horizons and other researches have analyzed soil control sections (SCS) to different thickness. However, very few studies compare both methods (ESP versus SCS). This research sought to analyze the SOC stock (SOCS) variability using both methods (ESP and SCS) in The Despeñaperros Natural Park, a nature reserve that consists of a 76.8 km(2) forested area in southern Spain. Thirty-four sampling points were selected in the study zone. Each samp…