Chapter 16 - Heavy metal mobility in soil under futuristic climatic conditions

Abstract

The progress of civilization, industrial development, and improper waste management results in an increasing concentration of heavy metals in the soil. Their high toxic nature, which is well known, creates a necessity for the constant and accurate monitoring of their contamination level. Moreover, the toxicity of soils contaminated with heavy metals is closely related to their mobility and, hence, availability. Deepening the greenhouse effect regulates the migration capacity of heavy metals. The futuristic climate makes the diffusion of heavy metals to occur in the soil substrate to the lower layers of the soil profile, and the accumulation in organisms inhabiting this medium changes. This chapter presents the effect of futuristic climate on the mobility of heavy metals in the soil, as well as the risks associated with this influence. Attention was also paid to the possibility of remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals during futuristic climate changes.