Golden, Nessa and Zhang, Chaosheng and Potito, Aaron P. and Gibson, Paul and Bargary, Norma and Morrison, Liam
(2017)
Impact of grass cover on the magnetic susceptibility measurements for assessing metal contamination in urban topsoil.
Environmental Research, 155.
pp. 294-306.
ISSN 0013-9351
Abstract
In recent decades, magnetic susceptibility monitoring has developed as a useful technique in environmental pollution studies, particularly metal contamination of soil. This study provides the first ever examination of the effects of grass cover on magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements of underlying urban soils. Magnetic measurements were taken in situ to determine the effects on κ (volume magnetic susceptibility) when the grass layer was present (κgrass) and after the grass layer was trimmed down to the root (κno grass). Height of grass was recorded in situ at each grid point. Soil samples (n=185) were collected and measurements of mass specific magnetic susceptibility (χ) were performed in the laboratory and frequency dependence (χfd%) calculated. Metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe) in the soil samples were determined and a gradiometry survey carried out in situ on a section of the study area. Significant correlations were found between each of the MS measurements and the metal content of the soil at the p<0.01 level. Spatial distribution maps were created using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) to identify common patterns. κgrass (ranged from 1.67 to 301.00×10−5 SI) and κno grass (ranged from 2.08 to 530.67×10−5 SI) measured in situ are highly correlated [r=0.966, n=194, p<0.01]. The volume susceptibility datasets in the presence and absence of grass coverage share a similar spatial distribution pattern. This study re-evaluates in situ κ monitoring techniques and the results suggest that the removal of grass coverage prior to obtaining in situ κ measurements of urban soil is unnecessary. This layer does not impede the MS sensor from accurately measuring elevated κ in soils, and therefore κ measurements recorded with grass coverage present can be reliably used to identify areas of urban soil metal contamination.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Magnetic susceptibility;
Soil metal contamination;
Grass cover;
in situ MS;
Environmental magnetism; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography |
| Item ID: |
11542 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.02.032 |
| Depositing User: |
Paul Gibson
|
| Date Deposited: |
30 Oct 2019 16:16 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Environmental Research |
| Publisher: |
Elsevier |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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