GIS-based research on soil heavy metal accumulation in a fluvo-aquic soil area typical of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain
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    Abstract:

    Heavy metal pollution of soils is an issue that has aroused high concerns among scientists the world over, and it is the premise of establishing related regulatory measures to specify trend of the spatio-temporal variation of heavy metal content in the soil. A case study was performed of Fengqiu County of Henan Province, a fluvo-aquic soil area typical of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, based on statistical analysis and geostatistical spatial interpolation of GIS data. The study was aimed at specifying current contents of soil heavy metals (Cr, Hg, As, Cu, and Zn) and their variation trends in the past years; determining areas and spatial distributions of the soils up separately to various standards for soil heavy metals, such as the natural background values, Criteria of Grade I of the National Standard for Soil Environmental Quality and the Standard of Soil Environmental Quality for Green Food Production; and eventually based on the two preceding researches quantitatively evaluating comprehensive soil heavy metal environment quality of the soils up to the criteria of Grade I of the National Standard with the Nemerow integrated pollution index method and their distributions within the county. Results show that the average contents of the five heavy metals, except Hg of which the average content was nearly on the same level as the background value, were slightly higher than the background values, but far below the Criteria of Grade I. And all the five heavy metals, except As, showed an increasing trend in content with the years passing by. The county had over 98% of its area of soils exceeding the criteria of Grade I of the National Standard in content of Cr, As and Zn, 100% in content of Hg, and over 91% in content of Cu, and over 99% beyond the Standard of Soil Environmental Quality for Green Food Production. Based on the criteria of Grade I, analysis with the Nemerow integrated pollution index method revealed that the soils of Fengqiu were good in comprehensive soil environmental quality, except for less than 3% slightly polluted, which means that the soils in Fengqiu are suitable to cultivation of all kinds crops in view of the current condition of soil heavy metal pollution. However, in some individual localities where the soils are beyond the standard for green food production, special attention should be paid to timely preventive measures for the issue of heavy metals pollution.

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Xia Ming, Zhao Bingzi, Zhang Jiabao. GIS-based research on soil heavy metal accumulation in a fluvo-aquic soil area typical of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain[J]. Acta Pedologica Sinica,2013,50(4):684-692.

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History
  • Received:October 12,2011
  • Revised:December 20,2012
  • Adopted:March 25,2013
  • Online: April 22,2013
  • Published: