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Extractable copper, lead, zinc and cadmium in Northern Ireland soils
Author(s) -
Dickson E. Leslie,
Stevens R. James
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740341108
Subject(s) - cadmium , zinc , copper , soil water , trace element , ammonium acetate , environmental chemistry , chemistry , phosphorus , mineralogy , environmental science , soil science , chromatography , high performance liquid chromatography , organic chemistry
A survey of extractable copper, lead, zinc and cadmium in Northern Ireland's top soils was carried out to see if the trace element concentrations could be related to the parent material of the soils and to the influence of human activity. Using ordnance‐survey identification, 1305 samples were selected as representative of the soils of Northern Ireland. Duplicate subsamples of each soil were shaken with 0.05M EDTA (pH 7.0) for 60 min and the supernatant analysed for copper, lead, zinc and cadmium by atomic absorption techniques. Ranges and medians for each trace element are recorded and comparisons with results of copper reported for other countries have been identified. Relative distribution diagrams are presented for each of the elements under investigation and computer‐drawn symbol maps have been produced showing the distribution of the concentration of each element in comparison to the parent geology. Finally correlation coefficients between the concentration of each trace element and the ammonium acetate/acetic acid (pH 4.2) extracted phosphorus and potassium have been calculated and used to show that a specific relationship between the extractable trace elements and man's additions to the soil, as indicated by the soil fertility, is poorly developed.