DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATIONS IN SOILS AROUND THE INTERNATIONAL ATHENS AIRPORT (GREECE). AN ASSESSMENT ON PRELIMINARY DATA


Published: Jul 28, 2016
Keywords:
Soil Characteristics Heavy metals Airport Enrichment Factor Cluster Analysis
I. Massas
D. Ioannou
D. Kalivas
D. Gasparatos
Abstract

Soils are receptors of atmospheric metal depositions and hence reliable indicators of pollution phenomena, especially for cases that potential site specific pollution sources are detected in terrestrial ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to assess the distribution of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Ba concentrations in soils nearby the International Athens Airport “El. Venizelos”, in Attica, Greece. Total metal concentrations were determined in 86 topsoil aqua regia extracts and the median values for Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Ba concentrations were 23, 81, 22x103 , 497, 87, 74, 75, and 423 mg kg-1 respectively. Though median values are not considered as high, the 90th percentile concentration values for some metals are high, indicating possible soil enrichment by these metals. A tendency for increased concentrations of Zn and Cr along the north-south axis and of Pb, Cu and Ni at the northern part of the studied area was also observed. As a first approach to discriminate between natural and anthropogenic metal contributions in the soils of the area, the obtained preliminary data were subjected to cluster analysis and to the evaluation of metals Enrichment Factors (EFs). Both EF values and cluster analysis results suggested secondary Pb, Cu and Zn site specific accumulation in the soils of the studied area.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Special Session: Enviromental Geochemistry
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Al-Khashman, O.A. and Shawabkeh, R.A., 2009. Metal distribution in urban soil around steel
industry beside Queen Alia Airport, Jordan, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 31,
-726.
Alloway, B.J. and Ayres, D.C., 1997. Chemical Principles of Environmental Pollution, Blackie
Academic and Professional, London.
Bouyoukos, G.H., 1951. A recalibration of the hydrometer method for making mechanical analysis
of soils, Agron. J., 43, 434-438.
Bretzel, F. and Calderisi, M., 2006. Metal contamination in urban soils of coastal Tuscany (Italy),
Environ. Monit. Assess., 118, 319-335.
Burt, R., Wilson, M.A., Keck, T.J., Dougherty, B.D., Strom, D.E. and Lindahl, J.A., 2003. Trace
Element Speciation in Selected Smelter-Contaminated Soils in Anaconda and Deer Lodge
Valley, Montana, USA, Adv. in Environ. Res., 8/1, 51-67.
D'Amore, J.J., Al-Abed, S.R., Scheckel, K.G. and Ryan, J.A., 2005. Methods for speciation of
metals in soils: a review, J. Environ. Qual., 34(5), 1707-1745.
Facchinelli, A., Sacchi, E. and Mallen, L., 2001. Multivariate statistical and GIS-based approach to
identify heavy metal sources in soils, Environ. Pollut., 114, 313-324.
Gasparatos, D. and Haidouti, C., 2001. A comparison of wet oxidation methods for determination
of total phosphorus in soils, J., Plant Nutr. Soil Sc., 164, 435-439.
Gasparatos, D., Mavromati, G., Kotsovilis, S. and Massas, I., 2015. Fractionation of heavy metals
and evaluation of the environmental risk for the alkaline soils of the Thriassio plain: a
residential, agricultural, and industrial area in Greece, Environmental Earth Sciences, doi:
1007/s12665-015-4096-1.
Geochemical Atlas of Europe, 2005. Part 1: Background information, Methodology and Maps.
Geological Survey of Finland.
Giannakopoulou, F., Gasparatos, D., Haidouti, C. and Massas, I., 2012. Sorption behavior of cesium
in two Greek soils: effects of Cs initial concentration, clay mineralogy and particle size
fraction, Soil and Sediment Contamination, 21(8), 937-950.
Kabata-Pendias, A. and Pendias, H., 2001.Trace elements in soils and plants, (3rd eds.) Boca Raton,
CRC.
Koulourasis, M., Aloupi, M. and Angelidis, M.O., 2009. Total metal concentrations in atmospheric
precipitation from the Nothern Aegean Sea, Water Air Soil Poll., 209, 381-403.
Massas, I., Ehaliotis, C., Gerontidis, S. and Sarris, E., 2009. Elevated heavy metal concentrations in
top soils of an Aegean island town (Greece): total and available forms, origin and distribution,
Environ. Monit. Assess., 151, 105-116.
Massas, I., Ehaliotis, C., Kalivas, D. and Panagopoulou, G., 2010. Concentrations and availability
indicators of soil heavy metals; the case of children’s playgrounds in the city of Athens
(Greece), Water Air Soil Poll., 212(1-4), 51-63.
Nelson, D.W. and Sommers, L.E., 1982. Total carbon, organic carbon and organic matter. In: Page,
A.L., Miller, R.H. and Keeney, D.R., (eds.), Methods of soil analysis, Chap. 29. Madison:
Soil Science Society of America.
Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment (Netherlands MHPPE). 2000.
Annexes circular on target values for soil remediation. The Netherland: MHPPE.
Olowoyo, J.O., van Heerden, E. and Fischer, J., 2013. Trace metals concentrations in soil from
different sites in Pretoria, South Africa, Sustain. Environ. Res., 23, 93-99.
Papathanasiou, C., Makropoulos, C. and Mimikou, M., 2013a. The Hydrological Observatory of
Athens: a state-of-the-art network for the assessment of the hydrometeorological regime of
Attica, Proc. 13th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, 5-7
September, Athens, Greece (full paper submitted and accepted for oral presentation).
Papathanasiou, C., Massari, C., Pagana, V., Barbetta, S., Brocca, L., Moramarco, T., Makropoulos,
C. and Mimikou, M., 2013b. Hydrological Study of Rafina catchment, Technical report for
Action B1: Catchment Hydrological Modelling of the FLIRE Project (LIFE11 ENV GR 975).
Rao, P., Zhu, A., Yao, W., Zhang, W., Men, Y. and Ding, G., 2015. Sources and risk assessment of
metal contamination in soils at the international airport of Shanghai, China, Toxicological &
Environmental Chemistry, 96, 1153-1161.
Ray, S., Khillare, P.S. and Kim, K.H., 2012. The Effect of Aircraft Traffic Emissions on the Soil
Surface Contamination Analysis Around the International Airport in Delhi, India, Asian
Journal of Atmospheric Environment, 6, 118-126.
Shrinivasa Gowd, S., Ramakrishna, M. and Govil, P.K., 2010. Assessment of heavy metal
contamination in soils at Jajmau (Kanpur) and Unnao industrial areas of the Ganga Plain,
Uttar Pradesh, India, J. of Hazard. Mater., 174, 113-121.
Swaine, D.J. and Micthell, R.L., 1960. Trace elements distribution in soil profiles, J. Soil Sci., 11(2),
-368.
Most read articles by the same author(s)