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Heavy Metal Concentrations, Partitioning, and Storage in Slovak Forest and Arable Soils Along a Deposition Gradient
Author(s) -
Wilcke Wolfgang,
Guschker Christian,
Kobz˘a Jozef,
Zech Wolfgang
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of plant nutrition and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 1436-8730
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2624(199903)162:2<223::aid-jpln223>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - soil water , subsoil , arable land , leaching (pedology) , chemistry , environmental chemistry , deposition (geology) , soil horizon , metal , mineralogy , soil science , environmental science , geology , sediment , ecology , biology , geomorphology , agriculture , organic chemistry
Along a heavy metal deposition gradient, caused by a Cu smelter, heavy metal concentrations, partitioning, and storage in forest and arable soils were examined. We sampled organic and mineral soil horizons (0—50 cm) at ten pairs of forest and arable sites derived from the same parent material. A‐horizons were extracted with a seven‐step sequence; O‐ and subsoil horizons were digested with strong acids (HNO 3 /HClO 4 ). We found high concentrations of Cd (up to 17.38 mg kg —1 in the O horizons/up to 2.44 mg kg —1 in the A horizons), Cu (8437/415), Pb (3343/126), and Zn (1482/637) which decreased exponentially with distance from the smelter and with soil depth. The metal concentrations in the organic layers indicate that the average transport distance decreases in the order Cd > Zn > Pb > Cu. With regard to metal partitioning, NH 4 NO 3 ‐ + NH 4 OAc‐extractable forms in the A horizons were most affected by the deposition being more pronounced under forest. In the uppermost 50 cm of the four soils nearest to the smelter two to four times higher Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn storages were found in forest than in arable soils. At greater distance, the higher deposition onto forest soils due to the scavenging effect of the canopy obviously was compensated by stronger leaching.