Heavy metals contents and distribution in forest soils of La Rioja, NW Spain
- Andrades Rodríguez, María Soledad
- Marín, A.
- Iñigo, V.
- Alonso-Martirena, J.I.
Editorial: GeoScience Publisher
ISBN: 3-923381-49-2
Año de publicación: 2005
Páginas: 437-444
Tipo: Capítulo de Libro
Resumen
Information about the content and distribution of heavy metals is very important to assess the environmental quality of soils. In this work, the heavy metal contents, Cd, CLI, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were determined in 125 locations in the forest region of La Rioja, Spain. Distribution maps containing these variables were produced by geostatistic survey using Ordinary Kriging, and with the help of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This work is a first approach to estimate the current contents and identify possible origins of heavy metals in the forest soils of La Rioja. Values for NI, Cu and Zn were found to be very close to the national and global means. The Mn contents on the soils under study were very high, both in the surface and in the subsurface horizons and increased with precipitation. The Cd, Mn, and Pb contents were high in the surface soils and they may be due to, in part, the atmospheric deposition through airborne particles from Biscay, Spain.