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Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental Quality of Soil in the Northern Plateau of Spain by Geostatistical Methods

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  • Fernando Santos-Francés

    (Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, University of Salamanca, Avenue Filiberto Villalobos, 119, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Antonio Martínez-Graña

    (Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Salamanca, Plaza de la Merced s/n., 37008 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Carmelo Ávila Zarza

    (Department of Statistics, Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, University of Salamanca, Avenue Filiberto Villalobos, 119, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Antonio García Sánchez

    (Department of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology—IRNASA (C.S.I.C.), Calle Cordel de Merinas 40, 37008 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Pilar Alonso Rojo

    (Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, University of Salamanca, Avenue Filiberto Villalobos, 119, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

Abstract

The environmental quality of soil in the central part of the Northern Plateau of Spain has been analyzed by studying the heavy metal content of 166 samples belonging to the horizons A, B and C of 89 soil profiles. The analysis to assess the environmental risk of heavy metals in the soil was carried out by means of the spatial distribution of nine heavy metals and the use of several pollution indices. The results showed that the concentration values of heavy metals (x ± S) in the superficial soil horizons were the following: With a total of 6.71 ± 3.51 mg kg −1, the contents of Cd is 0.08 ± 0.06 mg kg−1, Co is 6.49 ± 3.21 mg kg−1, Cu is 17.19 ± 10.69 mg kg−1, Cr is 18.68 ± 12.28 mg kg−1, Hg is 0.083 ± 0.063 mg kg−1, Ni is 12.05 ± 6.76 mg kg−1, Pb is 14.10 ± 11.32 mg kg−1 and Zn is 35.31 ± 14.63 mg kg−1. These nine metals exceed the values of the natural geological background level of Tertiary period sediments and rocks that form part of the Northern Plateau in Spain. Nemerow and Potential Ecological Risk indices were calculated, with the “improved” Nemerow index allowing pollution within the soil superficial horizons to be determined. The data obtained indicated that the majority of the soil (54.61%) showed low to moderate contamination, 22.31% showed moderate contamination and 21.54% of the samples were not contaminated. If we consider the Potential of Ecological Risk Index (RI), the largest percentage of soil samples showed low (70.79%) to moderate (25.38%) ecological risk of potential contamination, where the rest of the soil presented a considerable risk of contamination. The nine trace elements were divided into three principal components: PC1 (Cu, Cr, Ni, Co and Zn), PC2 (As and Hg) and PC3 (Cd). All metals accumulated in the soil came from parent rock, agricultural practices and the run-off of residual waters towards rivers and streams caused by industrial development and an increase in population density. Finally, cartography of the spatial distribution of the heavy metal contents in the soil of the Northern Plateau of Spain was generated using Kriging interpolation methods. Furthermore, the total heavy metal contents in three soil orders present in the area, namely Entisols, Inceptisols, and Alfisols, were analyzed. Other soil parameters, such as the organic matter content, pH, clay content and cation exchange capacity, was measured to determine their influence on and correlation with the heavy metal contents.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Santos-Francés & Antonio Martínez-Graña & Carmelo Ávila Zarza & Antonio García Sánchez & Pilar Alonso Rojo, 2017. "Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental Quality of Soil in the Northern Plateau of Spain by Geostatistical Methods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:6:p:568-:d:99787
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thinh Nguyen Van & Akinori Ozaki & Hoang Nguyen Tho & Anh Nguyen Duc & Yen Tran Thi & Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2016. "Arsenic and Heavy Metal Contamination in Soils under Different Land Use in an Estuary in Northern Vietnam," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, November.
    2. Lei Yu & Jiemin Cheng & Jincheng Zhan & Aixia Jiang, 2016. "Environmental quality and sources of heavy metals in the topsoil based on multivariate statistical analyses: a case study in Laiwu City, Shandong Province, China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 81(3), pages 1435-1445, April.
    3. Yang Guan & Chaofeng Shao & Meiting Ju, 2014. "Heavy Metal Contamination Assessment and Partition for Industrial and Mining Gathering Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, July.
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    1. Fengxu Li & Jiquan Zhang & Tiehua Cao & Sijia Li & Yanan Chen & Xuanhe Liang & Xin Zhao & Junwei Chen, 2018. "Human Health Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Farmland Topsoil with Source Identification in Jilin Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Marco Criado & Antonio Martínez-Graña & Javier Sánchez San Román & Fernando Santos-Francés, 2018. "Flood Risk Evaluation in Urban Spaces: The Study Case of Tormes River (Salamanca, Spain)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Jaskaran Kaur & Sartaj Ahmad Bhat & Navdeep Singh & Sandip Singh Bhatti & Varinder Kaur & Jatinder Kaur Katnoria, 2022. "Assessment of the Heavy Metal Contamination of Roadside Soils Alongside Buddha Nullah, Ludhiana, (Punjab) India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-24, January.
    4. Dongyue Li & Yilan Liao, 2018. "Spatial Characteristics of Heavy Metals in Street Dust of Coal Railway Transportation Hubs: A Case Study in Yuanping, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Fernando Santos-Francés & Antonio Martinez-Graña & Pilar Alonso Rojo & Antonio García Sánchez, 2017. "Geochemical Background and Baseline Values Determination and Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metal Pollution in Soils of the Andes Mountain Range (Cajamarca-Huancavelica, Peru)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-22, July.
    6. Ronghua Zhong & Yun Zhang & Xingwu Duan & Fei Wang & Raheel Anjum, 2022. "Heavy Metals Enrichment Associated with Water-Level Fluctuations in the Riparian Soils of the Xiaowan Reservoir, Lancang River," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-16, October.

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