Examining Wind-Eroded Sediment Especially the Content of Toxic Elements, Southern Hungary

Abstract

Intensive soil use, inadequate agricultural cultivation and agrotechnology lead to an increase in soil deflation sensitivity. Wind-eroded sediment and dust, as an environmental transport pathway of toxic elements, can result in environmental and human exposure far beyond the agricultural areas where it has been applied. Thus, it is crucial to examine the spatial and temporal variations in the harmful and pollutant content of the topsoils. These effects can be tested by in situ wind tunnel experiments. These attempts were conducted on a Chernozem soil at the summer of 2017–2018 in Southern Hungary. Before the experiments, a portion of the sample area was treated with chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin. A control area was also selected. In 2017–2018, a total of 28 wind event experiments were conducted by examining the topsoil samples (pH (H₂O)), CaCO₃, Arany yarn test, OM %, total salt content, humidity, pendimethalin and chlorpyrifos contents, and the toxic element contents in the rolling soil fractions. Pesticide measurements were performed by LC–MS. The enrichment ratios (ER) were then calculated. The measurements obtained in 2017 indicated that the average of the enrichment values of chlorpyrifos is 3.4. The measurements obtained in 2018 revealed that the pendimethalin ER is much higher in the rolled fraction (mean: 13.7) than chlorpyrifos (mean: 2.9). Therefore, a significant correlation between the ER of chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin can be concluded.