EGU21-15261, updated on 14 Nov 2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15261
EGU General Assembly 2021
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Metal contamination of urban soils in Cork, Ireland

Hannah Binner1, Timothy Sullivan1,2, and Maria E. Mc Namara1,2
Hannah Binner et al.
  • 1UCC School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
  • 2Environmental Research Institute, Cork, Ireland

Soil contamination is widespread across Europe. In particular, contamination of urban soils by metals is poorly characterised. This is a major environmental concern, especially given that urban recreational amenities may be located on former industrial sites and/or may possess ex situ soils derived from industrial areas. We surveyed soils from nine urban recreational sites (15 samples per site) in Cork city in order to assess the degree of metal contamination. The results show that Pb concentrations exceed national background levels in all soil samples from all sites by a mean of 600 % and at least 140 %. Mn, Fe and Zn are enriched above background levels in all soil samples from three (Mn and Fe) to five (Zn) of the sites and, at the remaining sites, show 7 – 14 localised hotspots. Similar hotspots characterise Cu, Rb and Sr, which each exceed background levels at eight or more sampling locations at four sites. Co, Ni, As and Sn concentrations exceed background levels in at least three hotspots at each of three to six sites. Overall, metal concentrations are highest in the sites closest to the city centre, reflecting diverse sources that potentially include traffic and current and historical domestic coal burning and industry. At each urban site, the element grouping Zn and Pb recurs in 50 to 80 % of locations and enrichment in the element grouping Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb recurs in approx. 50 % of locations; Ni and As recur in approx. 10 % of the locations. At three sites, elevated concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb are associated with high LOI (Loss-on-ignition) values – a proxy for the amount of soil organic matter present – and near-neutral pH values. Conversely, low LOI and acidic pH values are associated with lower concentrations of these elements. This indicates that soil metal concentrations are influenced by the amount of organic matter present and by pH.  Future analyses and experiments will further investigate links between soil organic matter and metal concentrations.

How to cite: Binner, H., Sullivan, T., and Mc Namara, M. E.: Metal contamination of urban soils in Cork, Ireland, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-15261, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15261, 2021.

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