CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL SOILS UNDER OLIVE TREES

Olive production is important and intensive agricultural activity in this region. Generally, olive trees occur coastal side of the region under brown forest soils. Ten olive tree plantations were selected in this research. The some important physical, chemical and morphological properties were investigated and classifi ed according to USDA Soil Taxonomy as Typic Xerochrepts

Evaluating the use of multi-element soil analysis in archaeology: a study of a postmedieval croft (Olligarth) in Shetland

Multi-element soil analysis is an established technique in archaeology, but there has been little work to understand the processes and loadings involved. The abandoned farm (croft) of Olligarth, Shetland provided the opportunity of validating the technique by sampling from known contexts. The results showed multi-element soil analysis could accurately differentiate between areas of known function. Accuracy was increased using samples from the floor layers rather than topsoils. The elements that produced the best discriminant model of function were P, Ca, Cr, V, Fe, Nd, Ti, Pb, Al, and Yb. However because of cross-correlation between elements, Cu, Zn, Sr, Ba, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Co, Ni, and the rare earth elements, were also important potential discriminators. Of these P, Ca, Zn, Sr, Pb, Cu, Ba, Na, K, and Nd correlated positively with soil CEC and organic matter content and may, in part, originate from fuel materials, plasters, dung and bone. Ti, Cr, Al and many rare earth elements were influenced by local geological variation and are of less interest archaeologically

THE BACKGROUND LEVELS OF HEAVY METALS IN VERTISOLS UNDER MEDITERRANEAN TYPE OF CLIMATE IN THE REGION OF TURKEY

Vertisols are important agricultural soils in the region. These soils are under various vegetables, sunflower and wheat cultivation. Fifteen soil sites were selected in this research. This research was carried out to determine background levels of total and DTPA extractable Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, Co, and Cd with some important soil properties

Nitrogen cycle disruption through the application of de-icing salts on upland highways

It is hypothesized that episodic introductions of road salt severely disrupt the soil nitrogen cycle at a range of spatial and temporal scales. A field-scale study has confirmed impacts on the nitrogen cycle in soil, soil solution and river samples. There is evidence that ammonium-N retention on cation exchange sites has been reduced by the presence of sodium ions, and that ammonium-N has been flushed from the exchange sites. Increases in soil pH have been caused in naturally acidic uplands. These have enhanced mineralization of organic-N, especially nitrification, leading to a reduction in the mineralizable-N pool of roadside soils. There is evidence to support the hypothesis that organic matter content has been lowered over decades either through desorption or dispersal processes. Multiple drivers are identified that contribute to the disruption of nitrogen cycling processes, but their relative importance is difficult to quantify unequivocally. The influence of road salt on soil and soil solution declines with distance from the highway, but impacts on water chemistry in a local stream are still strongly evident at some distance from the road

Multi-element soil analysis: an assessment of its potential as an aid to archaeological interpretation

Multi-element soil analysis is now an established technique in archaeology. It has been used to locate archaeological sites and define the extent of human activity beyond the structural remains, and to aid interpretation of space use in and around archaeological remains. This study aimed to evaluate the consistency of these soil element signatures between sites and hence their potential usefulness in archaeological studies. Known contexts on abandoned farms across the UK were sampled to test the relationships between element concentrations and known functional area and to assess inter-site variability. The results clearly show that there are significant differences in the soil chemistry of contrasting functional areas, particularly for Ba, Ca, P, Zn, Cu, Sr and Pb. Despite significant site specific effects, which appear to reflect individual anthropogenic practices rather than geological influences, there is sufficient similarity in the pattern of element enhancement to allow reliable interpretation of former function using discriminant models. Relating these enhancements to precise soil inputs, however, is more problematic because many important soil inputs do not contain distinct element fingerprints and because there is mixing of materials within the soil. There is also a suggestion that charcoal and bone play an important role in both the loading and post-depositional retention of Ca, Sr, P, Zn, and Cu and thus may be significant in the formation of soil element concentration patterns

Sequential element extraction of soils from abandoned farms: an investigation of the partitioning of anthropogenic element inputs from historic land use

Enhanced soil element concentrations may serve as indicators not only of modern pollution, but also of former historic and/or pre-historic human activity. However, there is little consensus over the most appropriate means of extraction for identifying chemical signatures of modern and archaeological pollution. This study addressed this question by using a 5-step sequential extraction to examine the partitioning of elements within the soil. Samples were taken from known functional areas (hearth, house, byre, arable, and grazing areas) on a 19th century abandoned croft (small farm). A hot nitric acid digest and five-stage sequential extraction method were used to examine the partitioning of elements in soil and identify the current elemental distribution of anthropogenic contamination. The results indicate that although a significant proportion of Ca tends to be bound with exchangeable and weak acid soluble fractions, in the hearth and house areas there is also a significant proportion held within the recalcitrant residue. Pb concentrations tend to be associated with organic matter, ammonium oxalate extractable fractions and the residue, whilst Zn generally has a more even partitioning between the six soil fractions. The implications of this for extraction methodology are element and soil specific. However, the presence of a significant proportion of anthropogenically significant elements (including Ca, Pb, Zn, Sr, and Ba) within the resistant residue suggests the use of only a weak acid or an exchangeable fraction extraction would result in the loss of information from contamination resulting from former human activity. Hence, a total or pseudo-total extraction method is recommended for this type of study

Evaluating alternative river management options in the tidal Ouse using the QUESTS1D model

The tidal Ouse forms a significant part of the Humber river system in Eastern England, which provides the largest UK fresh water source to the North Sea and a valuable habitat for fish. However it suffers from dissolved oxygen (DO) sag in summer, exacerbated by the industrial effluent discharged at Selby. A one-dimensional water quality model, QUESTS1D, as utilized by the Environment Agency (EA) has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of management options based on exploiting spatial distribution of the assimilative capacity of the river as an alternative to implementing more stringent effluent consents. Significant improvements in water quality of the tidal Ouse are predicted compared to the effects of tightening effluent consents. A system of water quality functions is derived in this paper for quicker and more direct predictions of water quality, which will be useful in future research when combined with other analyses. Taking account the assimilative capacity in policy making, this paper suggests that a combined water management framework should be applied to ensure the required water quality

Heavy metal pollution in some soil and water resources of Bursa Province, Turkey

Bursa, the fourth most densely populated province in Turkey, is important to the national economy for agricultural and industrial production. During the past two decades, substantial migration into the region has increased drastically the risk of soil degradation. Urbanization and industrial development in the province have mainly occurred on soil types with land capability Class I and 2 and produce large amounts of nonbiodegradable urban and industrial waste, much of which is disposed of in the Nilufer River, the Ayvali Canal, and on agricultural land. Regulation of effluent quality disposed of to surface waters has been limited, so it was decided to conduct a preliminary survey of selected potentially toxic element (PTE) concentrations in agricultural soils and the PTEs in irrigation waters in the area to deter-mine what potential pollution and health risk may exist. The pH and concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and heavy metals were determined in water samples from along the Nilufer River, above and below the industrialized area, and one of its tributaries, the Ayvali Canal. The results indicated considerable pollution from industry and city sewage in the surface waters, which are used directly by local farmers for irrigation of adjacent fields. Total heavy metal contents of the Fluvisols and Vertisols showed that these agricultural soils were polluted with iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb). The DTPA-extractable Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations in irrigated Fluvisols and Vertisols indicated that the practice caused the accumulation of the Cd and Cu in the upper parts of the soil profiles. In the longer term, irrigation of the soils with the polluted waters may damage soil, crop, and human health