Park Soils Research Articles

The Effect of the Distance from a Path on Abiotic Conditions and Vascular Plant Species in the Undergrowth of Urban Forests and Parks.

Urban forests and parks are essential for the maintenance of biodiversity as well as human health and well-being. Residents and tourists commonly use urban forests and parks for recreational and sport purposes, contributing to changes in vegetation. This study aimed to assess the effect of distance from formal paths on the abiotic conditions, vegetation cover, as well as ecological diversity of vascular plant species in the undergrowth of urban forests and parks. The investigations were carried out in 2021 in 10 urban forests and 10 urban parks located in Kraków (southern Poland), using a total of 400 plots (1 × 1 m) situated in close (CL) and further (FU) vicinity of formal paths. We found a positive effect of the distance from the path on the depth of the compact soil layer, vegetation cover and height of the tallest shoot in the undergrowth of urban forests and parks. On the other hand, the distance from the path had a negative effect on the number of vascular plant species in the undergrowth in both forests and parks. Forests and parks differed significantly from each other in light intensity, the content of P in soil, depth of compact soil layer, number of species, as well as in cover-abundance of species representing different life forms, dispersal types, habitat affiliations and origins. Trampling leads to low plant cover and height of the undergrowth, as well as contributing to shallow localization of the compact soil layer near paths. Human movement on paths (walking, running, biking) with accompanying pets contributes to the successful dispersal of plants, resulting in high species richness. High light intensity in urban parks enhances the total number of species, cover-abundance of meadow and grassland plants, as well as cover-abundance of hemicryptophytes. The number of alien species was higher in parks than in forests, but the cover-abundance of alien plants was higher in forests than in parks. Urban forests are more suitable for the growth and biomass production of some alien herbs than urban parks, as mowing commonly used in parks appears to be an important factor in reducing their cover abundance. Regular fertilization and irrigation contribute to the high content of phosphorus in the soil, as well as to the high cover-abundance of meadow and grassland plants in urban parks. Urban forests enhance cover abundance of plants with dispersal mechanisms of the Bidens and Lycopodium types, whereas urban parks promote cover abundance of plants with the dispersal of the Allium type. Further study is needed to confirm the role of urban forests and parks in the preservation of ancient forest species, as well as to develop an appropriate design of paths that will allow the protection of vegetation and soil in urban forests and parks.

Assessment of Changes in the Total Carbon Content and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Neris Park Soil Using the Simulating Program DNDC

Assessment of Changes in the Total Carbon Content and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Neris Park Soil Using the Simulating Program DNDC

Traffic emission dominates the spatial variations of metal contamination and ecological-health risks in urban park soil

Metals in urban park soil are closely related to traffic emissions, which adversely affect soil quality and human health. However, little is known about the quantitative impacts of traffic on the spatial variations of metals in park soil after the banning of leaded gasoline. Herein, concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in surface soil of four recreational parks of Sydney (Ashfield, Robson, Lamberts and Leichhardt) were measured to evaluate their spatial characteristics in contamination, ecological and health risks and relationships with traffic emissions. Contamination of metals are assessed by contamination factor (CF). Normalized metal concentrations (<63 μm) in the park soil were 24–614, 23–3520 and 99–3060 mg kg−1 for Cu, Pb and Zn, respectively, and CFs ranged from 1.4 to 207, whose variations inter- and intra-parks were related to traffic volumes. Traffic emission accounted for 72–84% of metals contamination in soil of Ashfield, Robson and Lamberts by sites, whereas the values were 25–70% for Leichhardt due to the absence of a surrounding arterial road. In Ashfield and Robson Parks, metal concentrations from traffic decreased exponentially with distance from arterial roads. Metals in Lamberts Park and in areas near arterial roads in Ashfield and Robson Parks may raise ecological risk, and traffic sources contributed to 61–81% of the risk. The ranges of ecological risk zones away from arterial roads and average daily traffic volumes showed an exponential relationship. Copper and Zn in soil of the four parks have no non-carcinogenic health risk for children and adults, and Pb has negligible health risk for adults. Lead in Lamberts Park and in sites near arterial roads of Ashfield and Robson Parks may raise non-carcinogenic risk for children (HI > 1) due to traffic emissions. These results emphasize the remarkable influence of traffic emissions on urban soil metal, which can be predicated quantitatively by traffic volume.

A comparative study of soil metal concentrations in Chilean urban parks using four pollution indexes

Toxic metal enrichment in urban soils from natural and anthropogenic sources is a public health concern that challenges sustainable urban development. Active and legacy mining is likely a major contributor of localized metal pollution in resource-based economies, although other sources associated with industrial and transportation activities may also contribute in urban settings. In mining countries, such as Chile, with no soil quality regulation, public policies that seek to protect human health should assess metal distribution and pollution indexes to guide interventions, especially in urban green spaces. To assess the role of active and legacy mining waste sites within the urban and peri-urban areas, metal concentrations in the soils of urban parks were measured in this study, and four pollution indexes were calculated for four cities of Chile. Copiapó and Andacollo in northern Chile represented the cities with several active and legacy mining waste sites located within the urban and peri-urban areas, while conurbation La Serena-Coquimbo and Gran Santiago represented the cities in mining districts that lacked major mining waste sites within their urban perimeters. A total of 82 (Copiapó), 30 (Andacollo), 26 (La Serena-Coquimbo), and 59 (Gran Santiago) composite surface soil samples were collected from the urban parks. Considering Canadian guidelines for residential/parkland soils, the value for Cu (63 mg/kg) was found to be exceeded in 99%, 50%, 100%, and 97% of samples collected from Copiapó, La Serena-Coquimbo, Andacollo, and Gran Santiago, respectively. The guidelines for lead (140 mg/kg) and zinc (250 mg/kg) were exceeded in less than 12% of samples collected from Copiapó and Gran Santiago. Arsenic was not mainly quantified (<10% quantification frequency, quantification limit = 36 mg/kg). The calculated modified pollution load, Nemerow, and soil quality indexes indicated that soils in the urban parks were more polluted in cities with urban mine wastes, however, the pollution load index ranked higher metal pollution in Gran Santiago. This study presented the first comparative study of metals in urban parks of Chile, highlighting a large proportion of parks with soil copper concentrations above the international guidelines, while showing higher median values in cities containing urban mine waste disposal sites.

Selenium in the soils of the Taganay national park and the Tyumen state reserve

Selenium is the most important trace element in the body of plants, animals and humans. In this regard, the study of selenium in soils and vegetation of territories unaffected by anthropogenic impact, which are specially protected natural territories (protected areas), is of great theoretical and practical importance. The Tyumen State Nature Reserve and the Taganay National Park were chosen as the study areas. In these territories, the gross content of selenium in the upper horizon of soils (0-20 cm) was studied. The analysis of selenium content in plants was carried out in the Taganay National Park for the three most common plant species of the herbaceous tier in the study area cane vine (Calamagrostis arundinacea), common sour (Oxalis acetosella L.), common blueberry (Vaccinium myrtllus L). The plants were selected at the same sites as the soil samples. The selenium content in soil and plants was determined in the branch of FSBI TsLATI in the Ufa region in the Tyumen region by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry using a Varian 720 ES spectrometer. Despite the significant biogeochemical differences of the studied protected areas, the selenium content in the soils of the studied territories does not differ significantly and ranges from 0.01 to 0.09 mg/kg, with average values of 0.050.02 and 0.0620.02 mg/kg, respectively, in the soils of the Taganay National Park and the Tyumen State Reserve. The studied soils of protected areas are selenium-deficient. This may be one of the reasons for the lack of selenium in the soilplant system. The total content of selenium has a pronounced relationship with the humus content in the soils of the Tyumen State Reserve and with the level of acidity in the soils of the Taganay National Park. The selenium content in the most common herbaceous plants of the Taganay National Park varies within insignificant limits and does not differ significantly, both in species composition and in relation to functional zones. The generalized selenium content in plants is at the lower limit of availability (0.051-0.054 mg/kg of dry matter). According to the calculated absorption coefficient, these plants for the accumulation of selenium belong to groups of weak capture. The low content of selenium in the studied plants of the Taganay National Park is associated with a shortage of this gross content of the element in soils and, apparently, with a low content of its water-soluble forms.

Radioecological studies of urban soils in the Arkhangelsk region

The aim of the study: to analyze the radioecological status of soils in the Mezen city and the Kamenka village (Mezensky district of the Arkhangelsk region) and to identify low-intensity anomalies in soil 137Cs, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K specific content on the studied territory. Location and time of the study. Field work was carried out in the summer of 2021 on the territory of the Mezen city and Kamenka village and their environs (Mezensky district of the Arkhangelsk region). Methodology. To accomplish the task, the soil from the upper 5 cm layer of Urbikvizems, Culturozems and Replantozems at 68 sites was sampled in the study area. Under laboratory conditions, the samples were air-dried and placed in Marinelli vessels to measure specific activity of isotopes by gamma spectrometry. The registration of gamma radiation from a soil sample, as well as the processing of the spectra, was carried out using the Progress-gamma software and hardware complex FVKM.412131.002-03. The energy calibration of the gamma spectrometer was carried out after each measurement using a combined control source OISN-137-1 in a 1-liter Marinelli vessel. The minimum exposure time for the counting sample was 3600 seconds. Results. The specific activity of 137Cs in the upper 5 cm layer varied from 1,6 to 24,2 Bq/kg in Mezen and from 2,4 to 26,1 Bq/kg in Kamenka, with an average value of 5,88 and 8,27 Bq/kg, respectively; higher specific activities of this radionuclide was observed in the Kamenka soils as compared with the Mezen soils. For 226Ra and 232Th higher activity was also observed in the Kamenka soils. The 40K specific content in the urban soils of the studied area was almost uniform. The specific activity of technogenic 137Cs and natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the upper 5 cm of soil layer on pastures and grasslands was comparable to the urban soils in Mezen and Kamenka. In forest soils the 137Cs specific activity was more than three times higher, reaching 65,4 Bq/kg. Analysis of the spatial distribution of the specific activity of technogenic 137Cs and natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra and 232Th showed that small local anomalies (SLA) of 137Cs (T1/2=30.17 years) were confined to the park zone of the central and southern parts of Mezen, where 4 MLAs were recorded. The natural radionuclides 226Ra (T1/2=1590 years), 232Th (T1/2=1, 41*1010 years) and 40K (T1/2=1.3*109 years) were found mainly in meadow soddy soils on the western outskirts of the city, in areas of one-story buildings (private sector), along banks of the Tova River and also in the airport area. In the rest of the Mezen city, the measured concentrations of the studied radionuclides were minimal. The spatial distribution of the studied radionuclides, revealed in the upper soil layer in the Mezen city, was also typical for Kamenka, where SLA of 137Cs were found in the soils of park areas in the southwestern part of the village without intensive anthropogenic impact. 226Ra and 232Th were characterized by increased concentrations on the outskirts of Kamenka in the north and south. The distribution of 40K is almost uniform throughout the entire study area, including not only the outskirts, but also the central parts of the village. Conclusions. The content of natural and technogenic radionuclides in the urban soils of the Mezen city and Kamenka village do not exceed the maximum allowable concentrations and are typical for urban settlements in the Arkhangelsk region. Higher activity of 137Cs the Kamenka soils as compared with the one in the Mezen soils can be explained by varying degrees of anthropogenic impact on soils in the studied area. SLA of 137Cs in park soils are due to the minimal anthropogenic impact; moreover, the soddy soil layer firmly fixes the atmospheric input by humic acids. SLA of 226Ra and 232Th in the meadow soddy is soils closely associated with the underlying sandy quaternary deposits, concentrating the elements. The SLA of potassium in these areas can be explained by the dense herbaceous vegetation, which easily involves the element in the biological cycle, thus contributing to its accumulation in the upper soil horizon.

Isolation, Screening and Identification of Native and New Bacillus subtilis with Strong Antifungal Compound against Fusarium oxysporum.

The genus Fusarium causes a wide range of infections in human, animals and herbs. The purpose of this research was to investigate and identify the native strains of Bacillus subtilis playing an inhibitory role against Fusarium oxysporum by producing surfactin. B. subtilis was isolated from the soil of various parks in Tehran-Iran, and identified by biochemical tests. Growth inhibition zone, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of B. subtilis were determined. After purification of surfactin, quantitative and qualitative analysis of surfactin conducted using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) . Finally, two selected native strains with the highest production rate of surfactin identified using PCR for 16S rRNA and phylogenetic tree was drawn. Sixty strains of B. subtilis were isolated from soil, after identification through phenotypical and biochemical tests, the antagonistic activity of 27 different strains against F. oxysporum by Agar well diffusion assay determined and the highest inhibition zone was 13.66 mm. Six strains showing the best inhibitory effect, were isolated and their metabolite were purified by methanol. MIC and MFC values of different strains were in the range of 0.5-1.6 and 1.6-2.6 mg/mL. Using HPLC, the purified surfactin content in B. subtilis was about 56.7 - 131.9 μg/mL. Based on the curves of the chromatogram, the preferred strains with the highest production of surfactin, by molecular identification, displayed high similarity to B. subtilis. We got a maximum amount of yellow and transparent surfactin from native strains. Furthermore, the selected bacteria can be good candidates for biological control of fungal pathogens.

Anthropogenic Soils of Urban Parks: A Review

Anthropogenic Soils of Urban Parks: A Review

Zinc and copper distribution in soils of Taganay national park (Southern Urals)

Zinc and copper distribution in soils of Taganay national park (Southern Urals)

Карта растительности памятника садово-паркового искусства «Осиновая роща» (Санкт-Петербург)

This article continues a series of publications devoted to vegetation mapping of existing and prospective specially protected natural areas of St. Petersburg. The “Osinovaya Roshcha” is a monument of garden art of the late XVIII–early XIX centuries. It is located on the northern border of St. Petersburg in a picturesque kame landscape, where sandy hills alternate with small bogged depressions and lakes. The landscape park of the Levashov-Vyazemsky estate was created in the forested area dominated by spruce, pine and birch. Since the 1780s oak, linden, ash, larch, fir, Siberian, Weymouth and other pines were planted there (Isachenko, 2004). A large-scale map of the actual vegetation of the “Osinovaya Roshcha” park and the adjacent territory was compiled for the first time. The natural forest, bog and meadow plant communities are characteristic features of the northern part of the area. The broad-leaved and coniferous trees, planted in the central part more than 200 years ago, have formed various plant communities, including mixed stands of local flora species and introduced trees. The southern part of the park is occupied mainly by broad-leaved introduced forest stands. Vegetation is divided into three sections in the map legend — natural, introduced, and formed by both native and introduced species. Each section represents vegetation types (or groups of types) (forest vegetation, mire vegetation, etc.); then forest communities are subdivided into classes of formations and formations, bog communities — according to the types of water-mineral nutrition. The mapped units are associations, subassociations and their variants, identified according the ecological-phytocoenotic classification. Territorial units — ecological series and combinations of plant communities — were also used in the map legend. Short-term secondary communities formed under various ecological (mainly anthropogenic) factors are subordinate to conventionally primary ones. They are indicated by indices at the legend numbers. Various types of shading were used on the map to distinguish natural and introduced vegetation. The vegetation map of the “Osinovaya Roshcha” represents a diversity of plant communities: they are forest (spruce, pine, birch) and bog (lowland, transitional, upland) communities typical of the region, as well as old-growth larch (Larix sibirica) and broad-leaved (oak, linden, elm, mixed composition) forests formed by introduced trees. Last ones are rare for the region. The plant community of Carex brizoides, found in the park, is of great interest among the communities of herbaceous plant introducers. This sedge is a rare species for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which probably like the Poa chaixii was used for sodding the park soils.

Biochemical changes in Conocarpus species under saline soils of Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur

In Pakistan, arid and semi-arid areas are more prone to limited rainfall, extensive evapo-transpiration and higher temperatures. For better understandings of current situation, a field experiment was carried out to study the morphological characteristics, biochemical responses and ionic composition of Conocarpus species (Conocarpus erectus and Conocarpus lancifolius) under saline soil conditions in Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur during 2019-21. Three sites one at normal soil (S.I) and two at different salinity levels (Medium and High Salinity) were observed in order to assess their effect on plant growth and other parameters. The data regarding physiological and biochemical parameters were recorded. Conocarpus lancifolius and Conocarpus erectus has maximum (233) mmol m-2sec-1 and (162) mmol m-2sec-1 stomatal conductance respectively. Maximum transpiration rate (4.57 MMOL M-2S-1) was observed at site-I in case of C. lancifolius, while maximum transpiration rate in case of C. erectus was (2.94 MMOL M-2S-1) at site-I. At control level, maximum photosynthetic rate was measured as (8.76 µmol m-2sec-1) in C. lancifolius and (5.59 µmol m-2sec-1) in case of C. erectus. Conocarpus species; Conocarpus lancifolius and Conocarpus erectus has maximum SOD (13.29 and 19.62) and CAT (16.48 and 42.05), and POD (14.81 and 8.81 U/mg protein) respectively. Maximum values of Na+K+ ratio in leaves (3.08), shoots (5.98) and roots (9.84) were detected at site-I in C. lancifolius. Based on statistically analyzed data, it is revealed that Conocarpus lancifolius can tolerate better salt stress as compared to Conocarpus erectus. Both species of Conocarpus can tolerate salinity up to 40 dSm-1 but growth of Conocarpus erectus is affected more as compared to Conocarpus lancifolius.

Parks and Recreational Areas as Sinks of Plastic Debris in Urban Sites: The Case of Light-Density Microplastics in the City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Soils of parks and recreational areas are potential sinks of microplastics because they are under multifunctional use. The aims of this research were to quantify and determine the types and abundance of light-density microplastics in one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Therefore, potential differences between the city districts were explored through the assessment of light-density microplastics’ concentrations in soils together with the soil properties. Microplastics were extracted from 74 soil samples. Predictions of microplastic concentrations and soil characteristics were made for the entire city by using ordinary kriging; 97% of the samples contained microplastic particles (MPPs), and on average, there were 4825.31 ± 6513.85 MPP/kg soil. A total of 21 hotspot samples were identified, and all of them contained LDPE, which represented 40.82% of the plastic types, in addition to 35.06% PAC and 15.58% natural polyamide. Other types of plastics were PP (0.19%), PS (1.30%), bioplastic (0.19%), PA (0.37%), PU (0.56), PVC (0.19%), and unidentified plastics (0.19%). There were no significant differences in MPP concentration between city districts. Our results showed that MPPs are abundant in urban soils, which represents a high risk for soil life. Further studies are required for identifying the sources of this pollution.

Spatial and temporal patterns of methane uptake in the urban environment

The environmental changes associated with urbanization have a considerable impact on soil-atmosphere gas exchange, which directly affects the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. At the same time, the CH4 storage in urban ecosystems can be underestimated as a result of human disturbances through land management practices, as well as climatic conditions. The primary aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate anthropogenically induced and environmental factors controlling seasonal and spatial heterogeneity of CH4 uptake under different land uses (grasslands, city park, arable lands) across the city. An attempt has also been made in estimating methane oxidation on the urban scale (Wroclaw, Poland) and quantifying its role in urban C balance in a one-year period. The soil CH4 fluxes were collected biweekly from July 2017 to August 2018, using the static chamber method and analyzed by the CRDS laser spectroscopy Picarro G2201-i system.The observations of CH4 magnitude proved that urban soil ecosystems act as the sinks for atmospheric CH4, despite large part of the city grounds are excluded from the active oxidation surface. The efficiency variability of this sink is pronounced both spatially and temporally. The significantly higher (p > 0.05) net CH4 uptake occurred in the urban park soils and grasslands (locally exceed 0.66 ± 0.17 nmol·m−2·s−1), while the consumption of methane in arable lands was about one and half times lower than on all of the sites explored. The estimated seasonal differences in CH4 uptake between study sites indicate that atmospheric exchange of CH4 in urban soils mainly depends on temperature dynamics, which reduce methane consumption by 50–80% for the summer and winter periods. Using land-cover data, the current estimates of CH4 sink in the land uses across the city of Wroclaw accounted for −45 ± 18 tones CH4 on an annual basis.

Evaluation of the Cost of Ecosystem Services of Urban Landscapes (by the Example of Moscow)

—The cost of park-recreational, residential, and residential-transport urban landscapes of Moscow has been estimated taking into account land use and the relationships between ecosystem services and ecological functions and properties of individual landscape components. On the basis of the methodology previously proposed by the authors, a wide range of ecosystem services of urban landscapes, mainly associated with soils and their ecological state, has been assessed. The cost of ecosystem services provided by the soil in urban landscapes is 20–30 times higher in comparison with that of green spaces, and some soil services can be considered invaluable because of the difficulty of renewing this natural resource. The cost of ecosystem services of undisturbed soils of park and recreational landscapes is 1.5–2 times higher than that of anthropogenically transformed soils of residential and residential-transport urban territories. The main contribution to the overall cost of ecosystem services of soils in urban landscapes is due to the following services: carbon sequestration, preservation of the genetic material of biota, and filtration and accumulation of chemical elements in the ecosystem. These services can be considered as promising in the monetization of ecosystem services in urban landscapes. The decline in the cost of ecosystem services from park and recreational landscapes to residential and residential-transport landscapes is largely determined by the deterioration of the ecological state of soils. The benefits provided by the natural block of landscapes are comparable to or greater than those of the cultural (human-created) block. In relation to the all-Russia assessment of ecosystem services, a specific feature of urban areas is a significant share (on average, 25%) of the cultural block in the total cost of ecosystem services and a decrease in the cost of regulatory services by about 30%. The results of the economic assessment of ecosystem services of urban landscapes indicate an underestimation of the value of natural components, a significant contribution of soil to the natural block, the need to search for simplified integral indicators of its state, and the presence of cost calculation problems. The methodological approaches and provisional results of this study can be used in urban planning with the aim to preserve the soil cover of urban landscapes and optimize their functioning.

Antimony, beryllium, cobalt, and vanadium in urban park soils in Beijing: Machine learning-based source identification and health risk-based soil environmental criteria

The pollution situation of antimony (Sb), beryllium (Be), cobalt (Co), and vanadium (V) is poorly understood, although they are widely used in daily life and production processes. Moreover, threshold levels (“soil environmental criteria”, SEC) for these pollutants are lacking in China, which impedes effective soil quality management. This study explored pollution characteristics for park soils in urban area of Beijing, China at first. Then multivariate statistical analysis and machine learning model were used to identify the main sources of pollutants. Additionally, probabilistic health risk and SEC were studied to assess the risks of pollutants and manage soil pollutants. The results revealed that the overall pollution levels of Be, Co, Sb, and V were low, but Be and Sb were enriched to varying degrees. Source apportionment showed that Sb (85.5%) was mainly derived from fuel combustion and industrial legacy, Co (66.7%) and V (82.5%) from natural processes, and Be from the natural background (39.3%) and anthropogenic sources (53.8%). Risk assessment indicated that the pollutants' carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks were negligible. Exposure frequency and soil ingestion rate were the most important parameters affecting health risks. The SEC of Be, Co, Sb, and V were 31, 39.7, 41.3, and 348 mg/kg, respectively, all of which are higher than the corresponding soil quality standards in China, indicating that current soil quality standards may be too conservative for urban park land. This study provides a reference for the management of soil pollutants in Beijing's urban parks, and the formulation of soil environmental quality standards.

Isolation and identification of carotenoid-producing Rhodotorula sp. from Pinaceae forest ecosystems and optimization of in vitro carotenoid production

Yeasts are alternative source of natural carotenoids, a group of colored terpenoids with various market applications. Carotenoid Production by yeast fermentation technology is greatly effective and proposes considerable benefits with large scale production, cost effectiveness and safety. In this study, four pigment-producing yeasts were isolated from forest park soils with the potential to produce carotenoids. Morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular characterization indicates the isolates belong to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Carotenoid production was optimized by small scale cultivation. The optimum condition was 120 h of incubation at pH 6.0, 28 °C, white light irradiation, Yeast Extract Peptone Glycerol medium composed of 10 g/L yeast extract, 20 g/L peptone, 20 ml/L glycerol, yielding maximum content of 223.5 μg/g dry weight. The β-carotene content was confirmed by HPLC and FT-IR. The results suggested that soil yeasts are potential sources of carotenoids that could be utilized as a natural agent for industrial products.

Effects of solar park construction and solar panels on soil quality, microclimate, CO2 effluxes, and vegetation under a Mediterranean climate

AbstractSolar energy is increasingly used to produce electricity in Europe, but the environmental impact of constructing and running solar parks (SP) is not yet well studied. Solar park construction requires partial vegetation removal and soil leveling. Additionally, solar panels may alter soil microclimate and functioning. In our study of three French Mediterranean solar parks, we analyzed:(1) effects of solar park construction on soil quality by comparing solar park soils with those of semi‐natural land cover types (pinewood and shrubland) and abandoned croplands (former vineyards); and (2) the effect of solar panels on soil microclimate, CO2 effluxes, and vegetation. We measured 21 soil properties of physical, chemical, and microbiological soil quality in one solar park and its surroundings to calculate integrated indicators of soil quality. We surveyed soil temperature and moisture, CO2 effluxes, and vegetation below and outside solar panels of three solar parks. Soil aggregate stability was reduced by SP construction resulting in a degradation of soil physical quality. Soil chemical quality and a general indicator of soil quality were lower in anthropogenic (SP and abandoned vineyards) than in semi‐natural (pinewood and shrubland) land cover types. However, differences between abandoned vineyards representing the preconstruction land cover type and solar parks were not significant. Solar panels reduced the soil temperature by 10% and soil CO2 effluxes by 50% but did not affect early successional plant communities. Long‐term monitoring is needed to evaluate the effects of solar panels on vegetation.

Spatiotemporal distribution and human health risk assessment of potential toxic species in soils of urban and surrounding crop fields from an agricultural area, Córdoba, Argentina.

The spatiotemporal distribution of potentially toxic species was studied in the topsoil of parks, playgrounds, and surrounding crop fields of Marcos Juarez City in Córdoba province, Argentina. The content of available metals and of some pesticides used in the region was determined. The mean values of available metal concentrations in all samples, expressed in mgkg-1, were 7.99 ± 6.58, 0.89 ± 0.71, 0.35 ± 0.26, and 1.50 ± 1.40 for Pb, Cr, Cd, and Ni, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients, coefficient of variation (%), and principal component analysis were used to explore whether variations in metal content were associated with anthropogenic factors. Agrochemicals such as lindane, chlorobenzilate, endosulfan, endrin, permethrin, and chlorpyrifos were found in crop field soil samples. In turn, chlorothalonil, chlordanes, methoxychlor, DDT, permethrin, and chlorpyrifos were detected in park and playground soil samples. The degree of pollution with possible effects on environmental health was evaluated using the Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) and the modified degree of contamination (mCd). In some campaigns, the values obtained from crop fields ranged from low to high pollution levels during periods of agrochemical application. Noteworthy, in periods of low agrochemical application in crop fields, a high level of pollution was observed in parks and playgrounds. For children, the hazard index (HI) values were higher than the threshold value of 1, suggesting a potential health risk. This study provides valuable information regarding land management practices and highlights the importance of monitoring and implementing policies to reduce human health risks.

The Effectiveness of the Rainwater Garden under Different Rainfall and Different Soil Conditions in Hangzhou, Zhejiang

At present, there are still problems in applicability and lack of basic research in the construction of sponge cities in Zhejiang Province. In this paper, a generalized model of the rainwater garden box is established. The planting soil, park soil and soil mixed with fine sand and coarse sand in Hangzhou area are selected as the rainwater garden medium layer. The artificial rainfall test method is used to simulate seepage and storage efficiency of rain garden under the once every two years rainfall and once every five years rainfall of Hangzhou city. The test results show that under the same soil conditions, the maximum infiltration flow rate under the once every two years rainfall is 0.2 cm3/s more than that under the once every five years, and the maximum infiltration rate of planting soil has exceeded the maximum infiltration rate under the once every five years. Under the once every two years rainfall, the maximum infiltration flow of the planting soil, planting soil and fine sand are each composed of half, and planting soil and coarse sand are each composed of half are 2.1, 4.8 and 5.6 cm3/s, respectively; the maximum infiltration flow of the the park soil, park soil and fine sand are each composed of half, and the park soil and coarse sand are each composed of half, are 0.7, 7.7and 9.2 cm3/s, respectively. At the same time, after adding fine sand, the infiltration amount increases by about 1/4 compared to before mixing; after adding coarse sand, the infiltration amount increases by about 1/3 compared to before mixing. It can be seen that the infiltration capacity of the park soil is much better than that of the planting soil after the sand-grain mixing ratio. The results of this research can provide theoretical basis and technical reference for the construction of Hangzhou sponge city.

Assessment of the potential environmental and ecological risks associated with traffic induced heavy metal contamination in country parks of Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a densely populated area with a limited area, so most country parks are adjacent to busy traffic roads and town activities. The soil in country parks may be contaminated by heavy metals emitted by traffic activities. During the holidays, most people go to country parks to play. It is very important to assess the potential risks of residents, especially children. So far, data on pollution in Hong Kong’s country parks is very limited. The heavy metals arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), silver (Ag) and zinc (Zn) were collected in the Kam Shan (KS), Plover Cove (PC), Sai Kung West (SK) and Lion Rock (LR) country parks. The mean Zn concentration in KS Country Park was more than three times higher than the background concentration in Dutch soil standard, while Cu and Pb were more than 1.6 times higher. The average pollution index (PIave) of KS Country Parks was classified as high, and the potential ecological risk index (RI) was classified as moderate. Country parks should pay special attention to heavy metal pollution in order to continue further research and remedial measures.