title: Arsenic in Bangladeshi soils related to physiographic region, paddy management, and mirco- and macro-elemental status.
abstract: While the impact of arsenic in irrigated agriculture has become a major environmental concern in Bangladesh, to date there is still a limited understanding of arsenic in Bangladeshi paddy soils at a landscape level. A soil survey was conducted across ten different physiographic regions of Bangladesh, which encompassed six types of geomorphology (Bil, Brahmaputra floodplain, Ganges floodplain, Meghna floodplain, Karatoya-Bangali floodplain and Pleistocene terrace). A total of 1209 paddy soils and 235 matched non-paddy soils were collected. The source of irrigation water (groundwater and surface water) was also recorded. The concentrations of arsenic and sixteen other elements were determined in the soil samples. The concentration of arsenic was higher in paddy soils compared to non-paddy soils, with soils irrigated with groundwater being higher in arsenic than those irrigated with surface water. There was a clear difference between the Holocene floodplains and the Pleistocene terraces, with Holocene floodplain soils being higher in arsenic and other elements. The results suggest that arsenic is most likely associated with less well weathered/leached soils, suggesting it is either due to the geological newness of Holocene sediments or differences between the sources of sediments, which gives rise to the arsenic problems in Bangladeshi soils.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK; Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: M Tanvir A
authors.initials: MTA
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK.
authors.forename: Claire M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Deacon
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, P.O. Box 611, CH, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gerrad D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Imamul Huq
authors.affiliation: Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5BN, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), Khamar Bari Road, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: A F M
authors.initials: AFM
authors.lastname: Manzurul Hoque
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, CH, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lenny H E
authors.initials: LHE
authors.lastname: Winkel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK.
authors.forename: Adam H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK. Electronic address: g.norton@abdn.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gareth J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5BN, Northern Ireland, UK. Electronic address: aa.meharg@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Meharg
keywords: Arsenic; Holocene floodplain; Physiographic region; Pleistocene terrace; Soil