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Adhikari K, Mancini M, Libohova Z, Blackstock J, Winzeler E, Smith DR, Owens PR, Silva SHG, Curi N. Heavy metals concentration in soils across the conterminous USA: Spatial prediction, model uncertainty, and influencing factors. Sci Total Environ 2024; 919:170972. [PMID: 38360318 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Assessment and proper management of sites contaminated with heavy metals require precise information on the spatial distribution of these metals. This study aimed to predict and map the distribution of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn across the conterminous USA using point observations, environmental variables, and Histogram-based Gradient Boosting (HGB) modeling. Over 9180 surficial soil observations from the Soil Geochemistry Spatial Database (SGSD) (n = 1150), the Geochemical and Mineralogical Survey of Soils (GMSS) (n = 4857), and the Holmgren Dataset (HD) (n = 3400), and 28 covariates (100 m × 100 m grid) representing climate, topography, vegetation, soils, and anthropic activity were compiled. Model performance was evaluated on 20 % of the data not used in calibration using the coefficient of determination (R2), concordance correlation coefficient (ρc), and root mean square error (RMSE) indices. Uncertainty of predictions was calculated as the difference between the estimated 95 and 5 % quantiles provided by HGB. The model explained up to 50 % of the variance in the data with RMSE ranging between 0.16 (mg kg-1) for Cu and 23.4 (mg kg-1) for Zn, respectively. Likewise, ρc ranged between 0.55 (Cu) and 0.68 (Zn), respectively, and Zn had the highest R2 (0.50) among all predictions. We observed high Pb concentrations near urban areas. Peak concentrations of all studied metals were found in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations were higher on the West Coast; Cd concentrations were higher in the central USA. Clay, pH, potential evapotranspiration, temperature, and precipitation were among the model's top five important covariates for spatial predictions of heavy metals. The combined use of point observations and environmental covariates coupled with machine learning provided a reliable prediction of heavy metals distribution in the soils of the conterminous USA. The updated maps could support environmental assessments, monitoring, and decision-making with this methodology applicable to other soil databases, worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kabindra Adhikari
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX 76502, USA.
| | - Marcelo Mancini
- University of Arkansas, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA; Federal University of Lavras, Department of Soil Science, 37200-900 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Zamir Libohova
- USDA-ARS, Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, Booneville, AR 72927, USA
| | - Joshua Blackstock
- USDA-ARS, Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, Booneville, AR 72927, USA
| | - Edwin Winzeler
- USDA-ARS, Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, Booneville, AR 72927, USA
| | - Douglas R Smith
- USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX 76502, USA
| | - Phillip R Owens
- USDA-ARS, Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, Booneville, AR 72927, USA
| | - Sérgio H G Silva
- Federal University of Lavras, Department of Soil Science, 37200-900 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nilton Curi
- Federal University of Lavras, Department of Soil Science, 37200-900 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Teixeira AFS, Silva JS, Vilela LAF, Costa PF, Costa EMDA, Guimarães AA, Santos JVD, Silva SHG, Carneiro MAC, Moreira FMS. Microbiological Indicators of Soil Quality Under Native Forests are Influenced by Topographic Factors. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2019; 91:e20180696. [PMID: 31800696 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201920189696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several microbiological indicators of soil quality present high sensitivity, but little is known about the influence of topographic factors on them. This work aimed to evaluate variability of biological indicators of soil quality across a hillslope under native forest and the influence of topographic factors on them. Four positions on a hillslope were evaluated. Activity of the enzymes β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, urease and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis were determined, as well as basal and substrate-induced respiration, and density of microorganisms: total bacteria, total fungi, actinobacteria, phosphate solubilizers, ammonifiers, native rhizobia, free-living N2-fixing bacteria, spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and percentage of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Activity and density of microorganisms were correlated with topographic factors. The relation of these factors to the variations of the evaluated indicators was determined using the random forest algorithm. Microbiological indicators varied according to the hillslope positions. The indicators urease, basal respiration, spore density, mycorrhizal colonization, total bacteria and fungi, phosphate solubilizers, and free-living N2-fixing bacteria detected in JNFB and FAM culture medium did not vary with terrain attributes and were therefore more indicated in cases of topographic variations. This and future studies can help to select the best microbiological indicators for different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita F S Teixeira
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Jacqueline S Silva
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Laíze A F Vilela
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil.,Centro de Ciências da Natureza/CCN, Universidade Federal de São Carlos/UFSCar, Campus Lagoa do Sino, Rua Serafim Libaneo, 4, Centro, Caixa Postal 64, 18245-970 Campina do Monte Alegre, SP, Brazil
| | - Patrícia F Costa
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil.,Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais/IFMG, Campus Avançado de Ponte Nova, Praça José Emiliano Dias, 87, Centro, 35430-034 Ponte Nova, MG, Brazil
| | - Elaine M DA Costa
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil.,Universidade Federal do Piauí, Campus Professora Cinobelina Elvas, Av. Manoel Gracindo, Km 1, Planalto Horizonte, 64900-000 Bom Jesus, PI, Brazil
| | - Amanda A Guimarães
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Jessé V Dos Santos
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Sérgio H G Silva
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurélio C Carneiro
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Fatima M S Moreira
- Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Universidade Federal de Lavras/UFLA, Caixa Postal 3037, 37200-000 Lavras, MG, Brazil
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Mayer-Pinto M, Ignacio BL, Széchy MTM, Viana MS, Curbelo-Fernandez MP, Lavrado HP, Junqueira AOR, Vilanova E, Silva SHG. How much is too little to detect impacts? A case study of a nuclear power plant. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47871. [PMID: 23110117 PMCID: PMC3482239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several approaches have been proposed to assess impacts on natural assemblages. Ideally, the potentially impacted site and multiple reference sites are sampled through time, before and after the impact. Often, however, the lack of information regarding the potential overall impact, the lack of knowledge about the environment in many regions worldwide, budgets constraints and the increasing dimensions of human activities compromise the reliability of the impact assessment. We evaluated the impact, if any, and its extent of a nuclear power plant effluent on sessile epibiota assemblages using a suitable and feasible sampling design with no ‘before’ data and budget and logistic constraints. Assemblages were sampled at multiple times and at increasing distances from the point of the discharge of the effluent. There was a clear and localized effect of the power plant effluent (up to 100 m from the point of the discharge). However, depending on the time of the year, the impact reaches up to 600 m. We found a significantly lower richness of taxa in the Effluent site when compared to other sites. Furthermore, at all times, the variability of assemblages near the discharge was also smaller than in other sites. Although the sampling design used here (in particular the number of replicates) did not allow an unambiguously evaluation of the full extent of the impact in relation to its intensity and temporal variability, the multiple temporal and spatial scales used allowed the detection of some differences in the intensity of the impact, depending on the time of sampling. Our findings greatly contribute to increase the knowledge on the effects of multiple stressors caused by the effluent of a power plant and also have important implications for management strategies and conservation ecology, in general.
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