SOIL POLLUTION BY HEAVY METAL AND MICROELEMENT MONITORING IN URBAN AREA.

Soil contamination by heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, chromium, copper, zinc, mercury and arsenic, is a matter of great concern. Heavy metals are present naturally in the soil, but their levels are increased by industry (non-ferrous industries, power plants, iron, steel and chemical industries), agriculture (irrigation with polluted water, use of mineral fertilisers), waste incineration, combustion of fossil fuels and road traffic. Reduction of heavy metal emissions is the most direct way to decrease the atmospheric deposition of these elements and their build-up in the soil. In order to evaluate soil pollution in urban areas a monitoring activities focused on the soil-plant system were led in the last 2 years by our study group. Urban parks were investigated and used as indicator of soil contamination by heavy metal due to wet and dry atmospheric deposition. Heavy metal deposits on soils remain predominantly in the top few centimetres and can cause health risks for children and old people that usually frequent this green areas. The same approach was used to monitoring the land surrounding an incineration in the municipality of Granarolo dell'Emilia (Bologna province). The monitoring activities, focused on the soil-plant system, included seasonal sampling of topsoil, leaves, turfs and musks, at 12 sites located within a 3 km range from the incinerator and 6 urban parks in 3 different city of Emilia Romagna Region ( Bologna, Ferrara, Cesena). Each monitoring program lasted one year, during which four sampling campaigns were conducted in correspondence of seasonal changes. The samples collected were suitably treated and analysed by means of optical emission spectrometry using a CCD detector (ICP-OES, Spectro CIR.O.S.CCD). Integrated analysis of the different environmental matrixes permitted identification of the most critical sites, from an environmental standpoint, with respect to the content of heavy metals and microelements and the data repeatability. In addition a correlation between soil pollution and atmospheric deposition on leaves (broadleaf and conifer) and musks (Hypnum cupressiforme) were found. In particular the zones of the urban parks, directly connected with the main street, show critical concentrations of some elements (Zn and Pb) exceeding the limits established by current laws and directly connected with vehicular emissions

Introduction of GIS based RUSLE model for land planning and environmental management in three different Italian\u2019s ecosystems

Soil erosion is one of the principal causes of soil degradation in Europe. The problems provoked by the erosion, involve economic damages in the agrarian-forest field and they cause directly or indirectly dangers to things or persons for phenomena like landslides, landslips, flood, etc. This natural phenomenon is now accelerated by human activities that change the system of degradation of the rocks and the formation of the soil in natural condition. This acceleration is caused by the degradation of the vegetal cover, wrong cultivations, wrong agricultural techniques etc.: damages that can be prevented with a correct management and territorial planning. There are many erosion prediction models: event-based or long term, empirical or physically based, on basin or plot scale that was improved in the last decades. USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) by Wischmeier & Smith is still a world-wide accepted method, despite some limits. RUSLE (revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) is now one most frequently used, as it can be applied under many scenarios, even on topographically complex landscape units (Desmet & Govers, 1996) and can be supported by GIS. Thank to GIS technology and 3D modelling the RUSLE model results a quite easy parametric model that can be used by local administration for a qualitative and semi-quantitative evaluation of the annual soil erosion of their territory. The introduction of soil erosion maps in urban and land planning seems the best way to decrease the erosion\u2019s phenomena and prevent landslides. Here we illustrate three different study case where the GIS based Rusle model was applied in different Italian ecosystems. The aim of this research was the introduction, of an easy and efficient erosion prediction model, for resources management and land planning according to local administrations needs. The first study area is the Susa Valley (Western Italian Alps), the chosen site for the Olympic Winter Games \u201cTorino 2006\u201d. In Alpine pedo-environments erosion is directly influenced both by the rainfall intensity or average values and snow melting or freezing cycles. The complex mountain geomorphology, the topography, the forest cover, influencing the organic matter content, and the conservation practices play a heavy role in soil aggregation and vulnerability to erosion. Therefore, erosion features such as rill gullies can be clearly seen, and in conjunction with this, in certain areas, the phenomenon of mass movement worsens. The second area is Vesuvio Volcano (City of Naples \u2013 South Italy). Erosion and mass movement are quite frequent in areas dominated by ashy , pumice and pyroclastic deposits (Andosols). This was the study area chosen by the local administration to test the prediction model as new instrument for land planning. It results useful not only to individuate the most critical areas, but also to predict the effect of land use changes of erosion and indirectly on landslides and floods. The third area is Sillaro river basin (Apennine Tosco-Emiliano\u2013North Italy). The model was applied on basin scale to evaluate soil loss due to sheet, rill and gully erosion in a landscape characterised by clay rocks and abandoned pasture. The final result was match with the solid transport of Sillaro river, monitored for each rainfall event in the last 10 years