title: Influence of the soil sealing on the geoaccumulation index of heavy metals and various pollution factors.
abstract: Soil sealing belongs to the most destructive and damaging processes to the soil environment. Soil sealing interrupts or greatly restricts the exchange of matter and energy between the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere and the soil environment. The aim of this study was to compare the content of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) of Ekranic Technosols by applying indicators such as geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index (PLI), which allowed to determine quantitatively the impact of the soil sealing degree on the content of heavy metals and to distinguish natural from anthropogenic sources of origin of heavy metals. In general, 42 soils from different parts of the city of Toruń (NW Poland) were sampled and divided into three groups according to the degree of soil sealing: completely sealed with asphalt or concrete (A), semi-permeable (partially sealed with cobblestones and concrete paving slabs (B)), and reference (non-sealed) (C). The results indicate that the artificial sealing in urban areas slightly affects the content of heavy metals in soils. However, based on PLI, Igeo, and EF, it was found that the sealing has influence on soil properties and unsealed soil is the most exposed to the accumulation of pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Earth Sciences, Department of Soil Science and Landscape Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska St. 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Charzyński
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Department of Soil Science and Protection, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Kraśnicka Ave. 2cd, 20-718, Lublin, Poland. aplak@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Plak
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Plant Physiology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka St. 19, 20-033, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanaka
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D011044:Poland; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Ekranic Technosols; Enrichment factor; Geochemical load index; Heavy metals; Pollution assessment; Pollution load index; Soil sealing; Urban soils