Divergent temporal changes of heavy metals in the soil induced by natural versus anthropogenic forces: A case study in the Yangtze River delta area, China

Cheng Wang; Jianhua Wang; Cong Zhong; Yanping Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165054

Divergent temporal changes of heavy metals in the soil induced by natural versus anthropogenic forces: A case study in the Yangtze River delta area, China

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Oct 10:894:165054. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165054. Epub 2023 Jun 20.

Authors

Cheng Wang¹, Jianhua Wang², Cong Zhong³, Yanping Zhao⁴

Affiliations

¹ Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: wangcheng118@163.com.
² Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
³ Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China.
⁴ Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center, Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510070, China.

PMID: 37348733
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165054

Abstract

The contributions of natural versus anthropogenic forces on temporal changes of metals in the soil of the Yangtze River delta region were successfully quantified by combining repeated soil sampling, geostatistics and the modified principal component scores and multiple linear regressions approach. The findings show that the mean concentrations of Cu, Cd, As, Hg, Cr and Ni generally exhibited a decrease trend from 2010 to 2020. The decline of soil Hg was most outstanding, decreased by 20 % as a whole. The result of the modified principal component scores and multiple linear regressions approach suggests that the decrease of Hg content was predominately driven by the geochemical processes, with 48 % contribution. The mean soil Pb concentration increased by 40 % from 2010 to 2020. Approximately 76 % of the Pb change was attributed to the strengthened development of Pb-containing battery industry in the south part of the Yangtze River delta region. The Pb battery industry development also contributed 48 % of the change of Cd. The anthropogenic activities involving Cu, Zn or fossil fuel consumption contributed 32-35 % of the changes of As, Cu and Zn concentrations in the soil, and the steel industries contributed 82 % of Cr and 60 % of Ni changes, respectively.

Keywords: Accumulation; Pollution; Repeated sampling; Source appointment; Temporal-spatial.