Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Studies on the chromium concentrations in topsoils and subsoils of two rapidly industrialized cities in the Yangtze River Delta in east China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A total of 782 topsoil samples (0–20 cm) and 371 subsoil samples (20–40 cm) were collected from agricultural land in two rapidly industrialized areas with a large number of small rural industries in southeast China, Zhangjiagang City (ZJG) and Changshu City (CS), to measure soil chromium (Cr) concentrations. Kriging and cokriging were used to predict the spatial distribution of Cr in the topsoils and subsoils. Paired-samples t test and spatial distribution maps were used to compare the Cr concentrations in topsoils and subsoils. The mean Cr concentration in ZJG topsoils was significantly higher than that in ZJG subsoils and the mean Cr concentration in CS topsoils showed no significant difference from that in CS subsoils. The Cr concentrations in topsoils were higher than those in subsoils over most of the area of ZJG and part of CS, suggesting that Cr accumulation had occurred in these areas and extrinsic factors have an important role controlling the distribution of Cr in topsoils. Semivariogram/cross-semivariogram was used to evaluate soil Cr spatial variability. The Cr in ZJG topsoils, ZJG subsoils, and CS topsoils had moderate spatial dependence and the Cr in CS subsoils had strong spatial dependence. Cr in ZJG subsoils had longer effective range than Cr in ZJG topsoils, suggesting that the anthropogenic factors affecting Cr distribution in ZJG topsoils; and Cr in CS topsoils had longer effective range than Cr in CS subsoils, indicating that soil formation may be the major explanation for the decrease in the variation of Cr in topsoils. A significant correlation was found between the Cr in topsoils and Cr in subsoils, indicating that natural factors also play an important role as extrinsic factors that control the distribution of Cr in topsoils.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Cr:

Chromium

ZJG:

Zhangjianggang City

CS:

Changshu City

ICP-AES:

Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

References

  • Adriano DC (1986) Trace elements in the terrestrial environment. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Alloway BJ (1990) Heavy metals in soils: chromium and nickle. Blackie and Son Ltd. Wiley, Glasgow

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson A (1977) The distribution of heavy metals in soils and soil material as influenced by the ionic radius. Swed J Agric Res 7:79–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyer DG, Wright RJ, Feldhake CM, Bligh DP (1991) Soil spatial variability in steeply sloping acid soil environment. Soil Sci 161:278–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahn MD, Hummel JW, Brouer BH (1994) Spatial analysis of soil fertility for site-specific crop management. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:1240–1248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cambardella CA, Moorman TB, Nocak JM, Parkin TB, Karlen DL, Turco RF, Konopka AE (1994) Field-scale variability of soil properties in central Iowa soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:1501–1511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullbard EB, Thornton I, Wheatley M, Moorcroft S, Thompson M (1988) Metal contamination in British urban dusts and soils. J Environ Qual 17(2):226–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esser KB, Bockheim JG, Helmke PA (1991) Trace element distribution in soils formed in the Indiana dunes, U.S.A. Soil Sci 152(5):340–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallego JLR, Ordonez A, Loredo J (2002) Investigation of trace element sources from an industrialized area (Aviles, northern Spain) using multivariate statistical methods. Environ Int 27:589–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasser UG, Juchler SJ, Hobson WA, Sticher H (1995) The fate of chromium and nickel in subalpine soils derived from serpentinite. Can J Soil Sci 75:187–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong ZT, Zhang GL (2007) Chinese soil taxonomy: a milestone of soil classification in China. Science Foundation in China 1:41–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong ZT, Zhang GL, Chen ZC (2003) Development of soil classification in China. In: Eswaran H (ed) Soil classification. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 101–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Heuvelink GB, Webster R (2001) Modelling soil variation: Past, present, and future. Geoderma 100:269–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huisman DJ, Vermeulen FJH, Baker J, Veldkamp A, Kroonenberg SB, Klaver GT (1997) A geological interpretation of heavy metal concentrations in soils and sediments in the southern Netherlands. J Geochem Explor 59:163–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jean L, Bordas F, Bollinger JC (2007) Chromium and nickel mobilization from a contaminated soil using chelants. Environ Pollut 147:729–736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaupenjohann M, Wilcke W (1995) Heavy metal release from a serpentine soil using a pH-stat technique. Soil Sci Soc Am J 59:1027–1031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerry R, Oliver MA (2004) Average variograms to guide soil sampling for land management. Int J Appl Earth Observ Geoinf 5:307–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna AK, Govil PK (2007) Soil contamination due to heavy metals from an industrial area of Surat, Gujarat, Western India. Environ Monit Assess 124:263–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langard S, Norseth T (1979) Specific metals. In: Freiberg C, Nordberg G, Vouk V (eds) Handbook on the toxicology of metals. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 382–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Lee SL, Wong SC, Shi W, Thornton I (2004) The study of metal contamination in urban soils of Hong Kong using a GIS-based approach. Environ Pollut 29:113–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li BG, Ran Y, Cao J, Liu WX, Shen WR, Wang XJ, Coveney RM, Tao S (2007) Spatial structure analysis and kriging of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane residues in topsoil from Tianjin, China. Geoderma 141(1–2):71–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrath SP (1995) Chromium and nickel. In: Alloway BJ (ed) Heavy metals in soils. Blackie Academic & Professional, London, pp 153–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Möller A, Müller HW, Abdullah A, Abdelgawad G, Utermann J (2005) Urban soil pollution in Damascus, Syria: concentrations and patterns of heavy metals in the soils of the Damascus Ghouta. Geoderma 24(1–2):63–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray KS, Rogers DT, Kaufman MM (2004) Heavy metals in an urban watershed in Michigan. J Environ Qual 33:163–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paz-Gonzalez A, Taboada-Castro MT, Vieira SR (2001) Geostatistical analysis of heavy metals in a one-hectare plot under natural vegetation in a serpentine area. Can J Soil Sci 81:469–479

    Google Scholar 

  • Rae JE (1997) Trace metals in deposited intertidal sediments. In: Jickells TD, Rae JE (eds) Biogeochemistry of intertidal sediments. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 16–31

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Shanker AK, Cervantes C, Loza-Tavera H, Avudainayagam S (2005) Chromium toxicity in plants. Environ Int 31:739–753

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi JC, Wang HZ, Xu JM, Wu JJ, Liu XM, Zhu HP, Yu CL (2007) Spatial distribution of heavy metals in soils: a case study of Changxing, China. Environ Geol 52:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shrivastava R, Upreti RK, Seth PK, Chaturvedi UC (2002) Effects of chromium on the immune system. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 34:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Science Taxonomic Classification Group, Institute of Soil Science (CAS) (1995) Chinese soil taxonomy (reversed proposal) (in Chinese). Agricultural Science and Technology Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • State Environmental Protection Administration of China (1995) Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils (GB 15618-1955). http://www.zhb.gov.cn/english/chanel-5/GB15618-1995.doc

  • Stein A, Corsten LCA (1991) Universal kriging and cokriging as regression procedure. Biometrics 47:575–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suciu I, Cosma C, Todică M, Bolboacă SD, Jäntschi L (2008) Analysis of soil heavy metal pollution and pattern in central Transylvania. Int J Mol Sci 9:434–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ure AM, Berrow ML (1982) The elemental constituents of soils. In: Bowen HJM (ed) Environmental chemistry. Royal Society of Chemistry, London, pp 94–204

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • von Steiger B, Webster R, Schulin R, Lehmann R (1996) Mapping heavy metals in polluted soil by disjunctive kriging. Environ Pollut 94:205–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang ZC (1999) Geostatistics and its application in ecology (in Chinese). Science Press, Beijing, pp 35–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster R, Oliver MA (1990) Statistical methods in soil and land resource survey. Oxford University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster R, Oliver MA (2001) Geostatistics for environmental scientists. Wiley, Chichester, pp 37–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcke W, Amelung W (1996) Small-scale heterogeneity of aluminum and heavy metals in aggregates along a climatic transect. Soil Sci Soc Am J 60:1490–1495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams TP, Bubb JM, Lester JN (1994) Metal accumulation within salt marsh environments: a review. Mar Pollut Bull 28:277–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang XL, Gong ZT (2004) A pedodiversity pattern: taxonomically established soil orders in China. J Geogr Sci 14(suppl):52–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang C, McGrath D (2004) Geostatistical and GIS analyses on soil organic carbon concentrations in grassland of southeastern Ireland from two different periods. Geoderma 119:261–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded in part by the National Basic Research Priorities Program (973 Program) (2002CB410810) and the International Cooperation Program of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (project no. 2006DFA91940). The authors are very grateful to all colleagues who collected and analyzed the soil samples and Dr Peter Christie for her edits to this manuscript. We also extend our appreciation to the journal reviewers and Dr. James W. LaMoreaux for their valuable suggestions and constructive criticism.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Chunfa Wu, Yongming Luo, Biao Huang & Haibo Zhang

  2. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research for Sustainable Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003, Yantai, China

    Chunfa Wu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, China Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Huoyan Wang

Authors
  1. Chunfa Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yongming Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Biao Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Haibo Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Huoyan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yongming Luo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wu, C., Luo, Y., Huang, B. et al. Studies on the chromium concentrations in topsoils and subsoils of two rapidly industrialized cities in the Yangtze River Delta in east China. Environ Earth Sci 61, 1239–1247 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0447-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0447-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation