Arsenic in agricultural and grazing land soils of Europe

• Published in: Applied geochemistry Vol. 28; pp. 2 - 10
• Main Authors: Tarvainen, Timo, Albanese, Stefano, Birke, Manfred, Poňavič, Michal, Reimann, Clemens
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: A horizons; agricultural soils; arsenic; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Europe; Exact sciences and technology; Geochemistry; geographical distribution; grazing lands; land use; Pollution, environment geology; soil sampling; X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy; Southern Europe; Europe; Western Europe; folds; maps; density; concentration; arsenic; extraction; anomalies; geochemical background; new data; X-ray fluorescence; land use; materials; inductively coupled plasma; soils
• ISSN: 0883-2927; 1872-9134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2012.10.005

► Soil arsenic concentrations of European agricultural and grazing land are reported. ► The median As concentration was 5.7mg/kg in agricultural soils (AR) and 5.8mg/kg in grazing land (AR). ► Soil As concentrations are higher in southern than in northern Europe. ► Most of the As anomalies on geochemical maps can be directly linked to geology. Arsenic concentrations are reported for the <2mm fraction of ca. 2200 soil samples each from agricultural (Ap horizon, 0–20cm) and grazing land (Gr, 0–10cm), covering western Europe at a sample density of 1site/2500km2. Median As concentrations in an aqua regia extraction determined by inductively coupled plasma emission mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) were 5.7mg/kg for the Ap samples and 5.8mg/kg for the Gr samples. The median for the total As concentration as determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was 7mg/kg in both soil materials. Maps of the As distribution for both land-use types (Ap and Gr) show a very similar geographical distribution. The dominant feature in both maps is the southern margin of the former glacial cover seen in the form of a sharp boundary between northern and southern European As concentrations. In fact, the median As concentration in the agricultural soils of southern Europe was found to be more than 3-fold higher than in those of northern Europe (Ap: aqua regia: 2.5 vs. 8.0mg/kg; total: 3 vs. 10mg/kg). Most of the As anomalies on the maps can be directly linked to geology (ore occurrences, As-rich rock types). However, some features have an anthropogenic origin. The new data define the geochemical background of As in agricultural soils at the European scale.