Variations in soil characteristics among urban green spaces in Kumasi,Ghana

Urban soils, although crucial to defining urban vegetation types and strengthening the resilience of urban ecosystems, can be severely modified by human activities. Yet understanding of these modifications and their implications for soil properties is limited. This study examined the vertical and spatial variability of selected soil physicochemical properties (pH, SOM, OC, TN, and bulk density) in Kumasi, Ghana, using a stratified random sampling technique. Soil samples were collected at three depths (0–15, 15–30, and 30–60 cm) from 161 plots in eight green space types within two urban zones. Mean topsoil pH ranged between 5.0 in the natural forest and 6.5 in home gardens. Mean bulk density, nitrogen, and carbon concentrations differed among green space types and depths (p?<?0.0001). Soil nitrogen and carbon concentrations in the 0–15 cm depth were two times greater than those of the 30–60 cm depth. Soil pH and organic matter concentrations were higher in the core urban soils than in the peri-urban while the reverse was true for total soil N and bulk density. Canonical discriminant analysis showed considerable separation of green space types based on the soil physicochemical properties. Higher total nitrogen and C:N ratios separated natural forest and cemetery from the other UGS types, whereas higher pH and bulk densities separated plantations and home gardens from the rest of the UGS types. Furthermore, the subsoil layers were laden with undecomposed cloths, plastics, concrete, and metal parts which can obstruct root growth and water movement. Results generally demonstrate considerable variability in soil properties among urban green spaces and highlight the need for a better understanding of these patterns to ensure continued support for plant growth, green space sustenance and maintenance, and the ecosystem services derived from them.     

Accumulation behavior of toxic elements in the soil and plant from Xinzhuangzi reclaimed mining areas,China

The concentration and distribution characteristics of toxic elements in soil and plant were investigated in the coal refuse reclaimed areas of Huainan, China. Ninety soil samples from different depth (0–20, 20–40, 40–60 cm) and 120 plant samples were collected based on grid sampling method. The concentrations of the selected toxic elements (As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the soil and plant samples were determined by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The elevated concentrations of toxic elements in the soils at the depth of 20–40 and 40–60 cm suggested that the coal refuse reclamation may lead to potential environmental impacts. The toxic element tolerance could be observed in all the selected plant samples. The concentrations of toxic elements in the underground tissues were higher than that of aboveground tissues. Conclusively, the present study provided a comprehensive evaluation of soil and plant toxic element implications from coal refuse reclaimed areas in China and was also helpful for environmental protection and monitoring the safety of plant.     

Spatial variability of reconstructed soil properties and the optimization of sampling number for reclaimed land monitoring in an opencast coal mine

Drastically disturbed soils caused by opencast mining can result in the severe loss of soil structure and increase in soil compactness. To assess the effects of mining activities on reconstructed soils and to track the changes in reclaimed soil properties, the variability of soil properties (soil particle distribution, penetration resistance (PR), pH, and total dissolved salt (TDS)) in the Shanxi Pingshuo Antaibao opencast coal-mine inner dump after dumping and before reclamation was analyzed using a geostatistics method, and the number of soil monitoring points after mined land reclamation was determined. Soil samples were equally collected at 78 sampling sites in the study area with an area of 0.44 km². Soil particle distribution had moderate variability, except for silt content at the depth of 0–20 cm with a low variability and sand content at the depth of 20–40 cm with a high variability. The pH showed a low variability, and TDS had moderate variability at all depths. The variability of PR was high at the depth of 0–20 cm and moderate at the depth of 20–40 cm. There was no clear trend in the variance with increasing depth for the soil properties. Interpolation using kriging displayed a high heterogeneity of the reconstructed soil properties, and the spatial structure of the original landform was partially or completely destroyed. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) can be used to determine the number of sampling points for soil properties, and 40 is the ideal sampling number for the study site based on cross-validation.     

人为活动对江苏土壤元素含量分布的影响

通过对江苏1∶25万多目标区域地球化学调查及典型地区生态地球化学评价资料的宏观分析与对比,认为人为活动对地表土壤的元素含量分布具有显著影响,表层土壤(0～20cm深度)中Cd、Hg、Se、S、Sn、N等代表性元素的含量大幅度增加,元素含量变异系数偏高,酸碱度(pH值)下降趋势明显,确定了S、Hg、Cd、Se、pH、TOC、N、P、Sn、Sb、Pb、Zn等是最能反映人为活动对土壤环境之影响的地球化学指标。施肥、工业排污等均是人为活动改变土壤元素含量分布的基本形式。     

Spatial heterogeneity of soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen in a Mollisol watershed of Northeast China

The spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients influences crop yield and the environment. Previous research has focused mainly on the surface layer, with little research being carried out on the deep soil layers, where high root density is highly related to crop growth. In the study, 610 soil samples were collected from 122 soil profiles (0–60 cm) in a random-sample method. Both geostatistics and traditional statistics were used to describe the spatial variability of soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) deeper in the soil profile (0–60 cm) with high root density from a typical Mollisol watershed of Northeast China. Also, the SOM and TN in farmland and forest (field returned to forest over 10 years) areas was compared. The spatial autocorrelations of SOM at 0–50 cm depth and TN at 30–60 cm depth were strong, and were mainly influenced by structural factors. Compared to farmland, SOM and TN were typically lower in the 0–30 cm depth of the forest areas, while they were higher in the 30–60 cm depth. As well, both SOM and TN decreased from the 0–20 cm layer to the 30–40 cm layer, and then discontinues, while they continuously decreased with increasing soil depth in the farmland. SOM and TN were typically higher at the gently sloped summit of the watershed and part of the bottom of the slope than at mid-slope positions at the 0–30 cm depth. SOM and TN were lower on the back slope at the 30–60 cm depth, but were higher at the bottom of the slope. Also, the spatial distribution of the carbon storage and nitrogen storage were all highest at the bottom of the slope and part of the summit, while they were lowest in most of back slope in depth of 0–60 cm, and mainly caused by soil loss and deposition. SOM at 0–60 cm and TN at 0–40 cm greater than the sufficiency level for crop growth (3.7–79.2 and 0.09–3.09 g kg^?1, respectively) covered 99 % of the total area, yet for TN, over 35 % of the total area was less than the insufficiency level at the 40–60 cm depth. Generally, accurately predicting SOM and TN is nearly impossible when based only on soil loss by water, although the fact that variability is influenced by elevation, soil loss, deposition and steepness, was shown in this research. Nitrogen fertilizer and manure application were needed, especially in conjunction with conservation tillage in special conditions and specific areas such as the back slope, where soil loss was severe and the deep soil that lacked TN was exposed at the surface.     

江苏省土壤元素地球化学基准值

土壤元素地球化学基准是指自然环境中土壤元素正常含量,属于土壤固有的化学组成与结构特征。江苏省现有国土面积约102 600 km2,至2007年已经完成全省1∶250 000多目标区域地球化学调查。按照4 km2采集1个样品、采样深度150～200 cm,16 km2分析测试1个组合样,共获得全省6 127个代表自然环境土壤之样品的52个元素与TOC含量的数据,剔除异常含量数据后,以平均含量代表全省土壤元素地球化学基准值、"基准值±1.5或2倍标准离差"表示元素基准值变化范围,获得了江苏省土壤52个元素及TOC的地球化学基准值,为土壤环境评价等提供了基础资料。结果表明:(1)全省土壤大多数元素含量数据不服从正态分布,但剔除异常数据后对平均含量影响不明显;(2)人为活动因素导致江苏土壤的Cd、Hg、Se、N等元素在地表20 cm以上深度发生显著富集,给建立土壤元素地球化学基准值增添了新的难度;(3)成土母质、土壤成因类型与地貌等差异是影响江苏土壤元素含量分布的基本要素。     

Geochemical background of potentially toxic trace elements in reclaimed soils of the abandoned pyrite–uranium mine (south-central Poland)

Spatial distribution patterns of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, U and Zn were determined in topsoil samples collected after 40 years of chemical remediation conducted in the inoperative “Staszic” pyrite–uranium mine in the Holy Cross Mountains, south-central Poland. Soil samples were taken from 58 sites using a systematic random sampling design. Selected samples were subjected to an X-ray diffractometry analysis on bulk soils and separated clay fractions. Hematite, goethite and gypsum are common mineral phases in soil samples. Technogenic soils developed on reclaimed mine spoils show uniform spatial element distribution patterns and additionally a distinct enrichment in As, Pb, Mn, U and Zn. Mineral and chemical composition of soils vs. rocks points to the lithogenic source of the determined elements. The results of chemical analysis have been used for evaluation of geochemical background of trace elements in the study area with the iterative 2σ-technique. This investigation shows that using mean crustal element concentrations (Clarke values) as proxies of threshold values in soils are not useful for determination of strongly positive geochemical anomalies. A modified enrichment factor, i.e. a local enrichment factor, is proposed for identification of sites where soils are contaminated.     

水稻土中Hg,Cd,Pb和As的空间变异性特征及相关影响因素探讨--以四川孝泉地区为例

以四川孝泉地区水稻土为研究对象,利用地质统计学方法,系统地研究了水稻土中Hg,Cd,Pb和As含量的空间分布特征和空间变异性特征,就可能的影响因素进行讨论并得出结果:1)孝泉地区水稻土中Hg,Pb和As含量的空间自相关尺度分别为10.4km,3.8km和5.1km,且为中等程度相关;Cd在所研究的尺度上不表现明显的空间相关性。2)城镇生活、生产废弃物无序排放,铁路、公路运输,农业施肥、灌溉等因素对孝泉地区水稻土中Hg,Cd,Pb和As含量的空间变异性均有不同程度的影响。3)运用地质统计学方法处理多目标地球化学调查数据能有效地提取地球化学变量的空间结构信息并能在不同尺度上检验取样网度的合理性。     

Discrimination of lithogenic and anthropogenic sources of metals and sulphur in soils of the central-northern part of the Zambian Copperbelt Mining District: A topsoil vs. subsurface soil concept

Samples of topsoil together with reference samples of subsurface soil from a depth of 80–90 cm were collected in the central-northern part of the Zambian Copperbelt to distinguish lithogenic sources of metals from anthropogenic contamination of soils caused by fallout of dust from mining operations, flotation ore treatment plants, tailings dams, smelters and slag dumping grounds. The total sulphur, Cu and Co contents were found to be significantly higher in topsoil relative to subsurface soil over a large part of the surveyed area, and Zn, Pb, As and Hg contents showed a definite increase in the close neighbourhood of smelters and in the direction of prevailing winds. This indicates that the increase of these elements in the topsoil is due to anthropogenic activities. The areal extent and degree of anthropogenic contamination of topsoil can be expressed by an enrichment index (EI) based on the average ratio of the actual and median concentrations of the given contaminants. Although the contamination of soil by dust fallout decreases progressively with depth in the soil profile, in areas strongly affected by mining and mineral processing the anthropogenic contamination by sulphur and copper can be traced to a depth of 80–90 cm. In contrast, the concentration of elements such as Cr, Ni, and V, that show a direct correlation with the content of iron in the soils, increases in the subsurface soil relative to the topsoil. This is particularly evident in areas underlain by rocks of the Katanga Supergroup.     

Assessment of As and Cd contamination in topsoils of Northern Ghorveh (Western Iran): role of parent material, land use and soil properties

The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of land use, parent materials (rock types) and soil properties on total arsenic and cadmium concentrations in the agricultural soils. A total of 87 surface (0–20 cm) soil samples were collected from four types of land use: irrigated farming, rangeland, dry farming and orchard. The average concentrations of the analyzed elements in topsoil were 84.426 mg As/kg and 3.289 mg Cd/kg. In addition, the pH, organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil grain sizes and CaCO₃ were measured for each sample. The results indicated that land use had no significant effect on As and Cd concentrations. Our findings indicated that the Cd concentrations were influenced by bedrock composition, but for As there were no significant differences between various soil parent materials (bedrocks). Soil pollution was assessed on the basis of pollution index (PI), comprehensive pollution index (P _n ) and geoaccumulation index (I _geo). Calculated indices showed high-pollution levels for As and low- to moderate-pollution levels for Cd.     

Land use effects on the properties of an Alfisol on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine the effects of different land-use types on the properties of an Alfisol on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria. Areas being used for nature conservation (forest), grazing and maize cultivation were chosen, and the three are contiguous within a nearly level, moderately well-drained site. Within each of the three land-use areas, a plot of 30 x 20 m was chosen. Each plot was divided into 6 grids of 100 m² size. Within each of these grids, four sampling sites were chosen by throwing up a coin four times. The four surface soil (0–5 cm depth) samples taken at the points where the coin landed, were mixed to form the composite sample, out of which sizeable portion was taken. This means that six soil samples were taken for each land use area (forest, grass, and cultivated). Same procedure was repeated for each of the following soil depths 5–15, 15–30 and 30–50 cm. Laboratory soil analyses were carried out while analysis of variance was used to test the significance of mean difference. The results show that forest clearing for grazing and maize cultivation has lead to significant decreases in most soil fertility variables. Organic matter levels of the grassland and cultivated soils are just about 28% and 13%, respectively, of that of the forest soil in the 0–5 cm depth, while they are 36% and 19%, respectively, in the 5–15 cm depth. Exchangeable cations and effective cation exchange capacity are also significantly higher in the forest soils. The effects are attributable to soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient removal resulting from forest clearance, maize cultivation and grazing. Hence, for sustained agricultural productivity, the soils require adequate inorganic and organic fertilizer additions together with appropriate cultural practices such as agroforestry, crop rotation and mixed cropping involving legumes.     

Spatial and seasonal distributions of soil phosphorus in a typical seasonal flooding wetland of the Yellow River Delta,China

Soil samples from 0 to 100 cm depth were collected in four sampling sites (Sites A, B, C and D) along a 250-m length of sampling zone from the Yellow River channel to a tidal creek in a seasonal flooding wetland of the Yellow River Delta of China in fall of 2007 and spring of 2008 to investigate spatial and seasonal distribution patterns of total phosphorous (TP) and available phosphorus (AP) and their influencing factors. Our results showed that TP contents in spring and AP contents in both seasons in surface soils increased with increasing distances away from the Yellow River channel. TP contents in surface soils (0–10 cm) followed the order Site A (698.6 mg/kg) > Site B (688.0 mg/kg) > Site C (638.8 mg/kg) > Site D (599.2 mg/kg) in fall, while Site C (699.6 mg/kg) > Site D (651.7 mg/kg) > Site B (593.6 mg/kg) > Site A (577.5 mg/kg) in spring. Generally, lower TP content (630.6 mg/kg) and higher AP level (6.2 mg/kg) in surface soils were observed in spring compared to fall (656.2 mg/kg for TP and 5.2 mg/kg for AP). Both TP and AP exhibited similar profile distribution patterns and decreased with depth along soil profiles with one or two accumulation peaks at the depth of 40–80 cm. Although the mean TP content in soil profiles was slightly higher in spring (635.7 mg/kg) than that in fall (628.0 mg/kg), the mean TP stock was obviously lower in spring (959.9 g/m²) with an obvious accumulation at the 60–80 cm soil depth compared to fall (1124.6 g/m²). Topsoil concentration factors also indicated that TP and AP had shallower distribution in soil profiles. Correlation analysis showed that AP had significant and positive correlation with these soil properties such as soil organic matter, salinity, total nitrogen and Al (p < 0.01), but TP was just significantly correlated with TN and Al (p < 0.05).     

Spatial variability of soil available phosphorus in a typical watershed in the source area of the middle Dan River,China

Phosphorus is an essential and common limiting element for plants. Phosphorus losses from agricultural production systems are known to contribute to accelerated eutrophication of natural waters. In this study, soil available phosphorus (SAP) content and SAP density were estimated based on a soil survey of a small watershed in the Dan River, China, and the spatial heterogeneity of SAP distribution and the impacts of land-use types, elevation, slope and aspect on SAP were assessed. Field sampling was carried out based on a 100 m × 100 m grid system overlaid on the topographic map of the study area, and samples were collected in three soil layers to a depth of 40 cm. A total of 190 sites were sampled, and 539 soil samples were collected. The results showed that classical kriging could successfully interpolate SAP content in the watershed. SAP content showed a downward trend with the increase in soil depth and the extent of SAP variability in the three soil layer is moderate. There were significant differences among the three soil layers (P < 0.01). The land use had a great impact on the SAP content. ANOVA indicated that the spatial variation of SAP contents under different land-use types was significant (P < 0.01). The SAP density of different land-use types followed the order of cropland > forestland > grassland. The mean SAP density of cropland, forestland and grassland at a depth of 0–40 cm was 4.28, 3.74 and 2.81 g/m², respectively. SAP and topographic factors showed that SAP content increased with decreasing altitude and slope gradient. The soil bulk density played a very important role in the assessment of SAP density. In conclusion, the soils in the source area of the middle Dan River would reduce SAP with conversions from cropland to forest or grassland.     

徐州土壤多环芳烃的环境地球化学迁移特征

选择江苏徐州黄棕壤进行不同深度层位多环芳烃含量的定量分析,研究并探讨了多环芳烃在土壤深度剖面中的地球化学迁移特征。研究结果显示,多环芳烃在徐州土壤剖面中主要集中在地表0~20 cm内。其中低环多环芳烃化合物的迁移能力较强,4~6环等高环化合物相对较难迁移,主要残留于地表生态系统环境中。     

微量元素在湖积物、土壤的垂向分布与稻谷中的分配

报道了“江苏省国土生态地球化学调查”项目有关湖积物、土壤柱微量元素垂向分布及稻谷样元素分配研究的初步成果。通过对有关样品元素含量的分析对比,指出洪泽湖沉积柱元素垂向分布与其动荡的沉积环境关系密切、太湖局部沉积物在其目前20cm以上深度存在人为重金属污染,这二湖沉积物中其氮与总有机碳含量呈显著正相关;认为城市化可使当地土壤环境受重金属等污染的深度显著加大、城市土壤环境受人为活动的影响要显著高于农村;发现Mo易富集于稻米、重金属与营养元素易富集于稻皮、各元素在米-谷间的分配关系不确定。     

Accumulation of trace elements in paddy topsoil of the Wudang County, Southwest China: parent materials and anthropogenic controls

The properties of soils derived from carbonate rock, red residua, and sand-shale in Guizhou province, China are essentially different. However, the effects of parent material and anthropogenic activities on the concentration of trace elements when the soils are converted into paddy soils are unknown. A total of 319 paddy topsoil samples (0–20 cm) were collected in a typical region to determine their relative contribution to the concentrations of trace elements in the soil. The results indicated that the contents of trace elements were far beyond the uncultivated soil background and the input of organic fertilizers was presumably responsible for accumulation of trace elements. In addition, principal component analysis showed that the first component included Cd, Cr, and As, which strongly associated with anthropogenic activities. Pb and Hg formed the second component, which related to both parent materials and anthropogenic input. Furthermore, the Cr and Hg contents in paddy soil derived from carbonate rock have higher values than other types of soils partly because of the high background values as well as slightly alkaline condition. In the paddy soil derived from red residua, high physical clay content accounted for enrichment of Pb.     

Spatial distribution and bioavailability of Hg in vegetable-growing soils collected from the estuary areas of Jiulong River,China

The distribution and bioavailability of Hg in vegetable-growing soils collected from the estuary areas of Jiulong River, China, were studied. Concentrations of Hg in top-soils, soil profiles and plant samples were measured with the method of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave digestion. Mercury species in soils were determined with the sequential extraction procedures based on Kingston method. Results showed that Hg concentrations in top-soils ranged from 49.8 to 1,685 ng g^?1, with an average of 510 ng g^?1 which was more than twice higher than the mercury limit (250 ng g^?1 at pH < 6.5) of soil quality set for edible agricultural products in China (HJ 332-2006). High levels of Hg were found to mainly distribute in the top-soils from the northern, western and southern part of the estuary areas. Hg concentrations decreased with the increases of profile depths, except for one sample (S15) in which Hg level in the depth of 0–20 cm was found lower than that in the 20–40 cm. Hg in most of soil samples in non-mobile forms accounted for 46–82 % of total Hg in soils, while Hg in the mobile forms only 0.6–8.7 %. No significant correlation of Hg concentrations between the vegetables and the soils was observed in the studied areas, which indicates that the transfer factors could only reflect the abilities of Hg uptake and accumulation in a specific plant, but they are unsuitable to be used as the general indexes for the mobility and bioavailability of Hg in soils.     

Distribution of some elements in surface soil over the Kavadarci region,Republic of Macedonia

The results of a first systematic study of spatial distribution of different elements in surface soil over of the Kavadarci region, Republic of Macedonia, known for its nickel industrial activity are reported. The investigated region (360 km²) is covered by a sampling grid of 2 × 2 km²; whereas the sampling grid of 1 × 1 km² was applied in the urban zone and around the ferronickel smelter plant (117 km²). In total 344 soil samples from 172 locations were collected. At each sampling point soil samples were collected at two depths, topsoil (0–5 cm) and bottom soil (20–30 cm). Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was applied for the determination of 36 elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, K, La, Mn, Na, Mg, Mo, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Th, Tl, Ti, U, V, W and Zn). Data analysis and construction of maps were performed using the Paradox (ver. 9), Statistica (ver. 6.1), AutoDesk Map (ver. 2008) and Surfer (ver. 8.09) software. Four geogenic and three anthropogenic geochemical associations were established. Within the research, natural and anthropogenic enrichment with heavy metals was determined. Principally, the natural enrichment is related especially to Ni. Pollution by As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Pb and Zn is basically insignificant.     

Soil-hydrological properties response to grazing exclusion in a steppe grassland of the Loess Plateau

Soil–water characteristics are necessary for water quality monitoring, solute migration and plant growth. Soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) is a relationship between suction and water content or degree of saturation. However, little information is available concerning the impacts of grazing exclusion management on soil–water characteristics. Here, the soil–water characteristics of grasslands, which were excluded grazing for 5 (GE5) and 15 years (GE15), were studied. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K _s), SWCC, particle composition, field capacity and some other indexes were determined. Results showed that the clay content and K _s of grassland soil were higher for GE15 than GE5. For both treatments, in low suction condition (≤100 kPa), the water holding capacity of 0–10 cm soil was the best. Water holding capacity of topsoil decreased gradually with the increasing of suction, and it reached the strongest when the suction reached 600 kPa. In all soil water suction, the water holding capacity of subsoil was the weakest. The van Genuchten expression was applicable for most of the samples, except 20–30 cm of GE5 and 10–20 cm of GE15. Dual porosity equation was applicable for all the samples. The soil–water capability and soil structure of which was fenced for 15 years is superior to that of 5 years. This study suggests that the enclosure management improved the soil structure and soil–water capability.     

Content of the potentially harmful elements in soil around the major coal-fired power plant in Serbia: relation to soil characteristics,evaluation of spatial distribution and source apportionment

The concentrations and spatial distribution of nine potentially harmful elements (PHEs), namely Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and their relation to soil properties were investigated in thirty soil profiles (0–50 cm depth) sampled around the largest Serbian coal-fired power plant (CFPP) “Nikola Tesla A.” Soil properties were determined following standard procedures, and total contents of PHEs were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometer. Concentrations of Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were the highest in soil profiles sampled 1 km away from the CFPP, concentrations of Ni and Cu gradually increased up to 4 km, and the highest Cr concentrations were measured in samples taken 6 km away from the CFPP. The highest concentration of PHEs analyzed, except Mn, corresponded with predominant wind directions. Depth did not show significant impact on distribution of any PHEs investigated. Among soil properties, the total organic carbon showed the closest relationship with the PHEs. Data were processed by a principal component analysis which enabled distinguishing anthropogenic from natural influences on soil properties and PHE contents. Although the impact of CFPP operations is obvious, assets of principal component analysis did not allow clear distinction of CFPP’s contribution from parent material in enrichment of PHE contents in the soil in the study area.