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Soil heavy metal content on the hillslope region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: reference values

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Abstract

The increasing concern regarding the preservation of soil quality suggests the adoption of quality reference values as a first step in environmental monitoring actions. In this context, the objective of this study was to establish soil quality reference values for Al, Zn, Mn, Cd, Fe, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cu and to correlate several soil properties with the occurrence of these elements in the hillslope region of Rio de Janeiro State. Sixty-two samples were collected at depths of 0–20 and 20–40 cm and analyzed using the USEPA method 3051A. After clustering analysis, the samples were separated into three groups. Classification functions were obtained based on the variables pH - Mg - Fe - Mn, i.e., the variables that were best related to heavy metal content. We determined to establish the quality reference values for the 75th percentile of the three groups. The relief forms of the area, which facilitate the transport of soil fine-particle fractions and accumulation in lowlands, were revealed to be one of most important factors in understanding the distribution of soil heavy metals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil, Institute of Agronomy, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), BR 465, km 7, Seropédica, RJ, 23897-000, Brazil

    Erica Souto Abreu Lima, Talita de Santana Matos, Helena Saraiva Koenow Pinheiro, Leonardo Durval Duarte Guimarães & Nelson Moura Brasil do Amaral Sobrinho

  2. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Solos), 1024 Jardim Botânico St., Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22460-000, Brazil

    Daniel Vidal Pérez

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  1. Erica Souto Abreu Lima
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  2. Talita de Santana Matos
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  3. Helena Saraiva Koenow Pinheiro
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  4. Leonardo Durval Duarte Guimarães
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  5. Daniel Vidal Pérez
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  6. Nelson Moura Brasil do Amaral Sobrinho
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Correspondence to Erica Souto Abreu Lima.

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Lima, E.S.A., de Santana Matos, T., Pinheiro, H.S.K. et al. Soil heavy metal content on the hillslope region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: reference values. Environ Monit Assess 190, 364 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6736-x

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