Mapping of geochemical contamination in Urban areas of Lithuania

In Lithuania geochemical mapping of urban areas was started in Vilnius city in 1985. Topsoil, stream sediments, snow cover, manufactory dust and other sampling media are used in ecogeochemical investigations. The aim of investigations is to detect sources of pollution, its geochemical properties and spread of its contamination. Furthermore, a sanitary assessment of urban soil is carried out on the basis of available geochemical data and the soil quality standard of Lithuania HN 60:2004. The soil contamination with heavy metals is estimated according to the highest allowable concentrations (HAC) and the total contamination index Zd which is related to the criteria of human health. At present the geochemical data on soil contamination in the areas of Vilnius, Panevëžys, Mažeikiai, Šiauliai, Alytus, Biržai, Pasvalys, Rokiškis, Kupiškis and other towns are in store of the geochemists of Geological Survey of Lithuania and Institute of Geology and Geography. The soil geochemical background values obtained by geochemical mapping of natural areas are always used for assessment of contaminated urban areas. Part of geochemical background and contamination data is published in Geochemical Atlas of Lithuania. Some geochemical data and soil contamination maps are in use of town municipalities on order and funds of which the geochemical investigations of urban areas were performed. However, geochemical investigations lag behind the planning, development and reclamation projects of urban areas, thus, new dwelling houses are often built on hazardous contaminated sites that may make a threat against human health. Geocheminės taršos Lietuvos miestuose kartografavimas Santrauka Ekologinis geocheminis miesto teritorijų kartografavimas prasidėjo 1985 m. Vilniuje. Šių geocheminių tyrimų tikslas – nustatyti taršos šaltinius, pobūdį ir sklaidą. Tiriamas viršutinis dirvožemio sluoksnis, vandens telkinių dugno nuosėdos, sniego danga, įmonių dulkės ir kitos terpės. Miesto grunto tarša įvertinama lyginant nustatytuosius cheminių elementų kiekius su didžiausiomis leistinosiomis koncentracijomis DLK, pateiktomis Lietuvos higienos normoje HN 60:2004, arba pagal skaičiuojamą suminį užterštumo rodiklį Zd , kuris labai susijęs su gyventojų sveikatingumo parametrais. Vilniaus, Panevėžio, Mažeikių, Šiaulių, Alytaus, Biržų, Pasvalio, Rokiškio, Kupiškio ir kitų miestų dirvožemio taršos duomenys yra saugomi Lietuvos geologijos tarnybos bei Geologijos ir geografijos instituto duomenų bazėse. Nustatant taršos lygį naudojami dirvožemio foniniai duomenys, gaunami kartografuojant gamtines teritorijas. Apibendrintieji dirvožemio cheminės sudėties duomenys šalies mastu publikuoti Lietuvos geocheminiame atlase, o kai kuriais duomenimis naudojasi tik miestų savivaldybės, kurių užsakymu buvo atlikti atitinkami tyrimai. Deja, geocheminiai dirvožemio tyrimų duomenys dar nėra pakankamai efektyviai naudojami rengiant regionų ir miestų plėtros planus, todėl naujos statybos gyvenamieji namai dažnai iškyla pavojingai užterštose vietovėse, nepalankiai veikiančiose žmogaus sveikatą. Firstd Published Online: 14 Oct 2010 Reikšminiai žodžiai: geochemija, miesto dirvožemiai, užterštumas, sunkieji metalai, suminis užterštumo rodiklis Zd

Soil sequences atlas. 2

TäistekstThis is the second book in the series of Soil Sequence Atlases. The first volume was published in 2014. Main pedogeographic features are presented in the form of sequences to give a comprehensive picture of soils - their genesis and correlations with the environment in typical landscapes of Central Europe from Estonia furthest north, through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary to the southernmost Slovenia. Soils of natural landscapes - loess and sand (continental dunes) - are presented, as well as those of plains of various origin, karst lands, low mountains, and anthropically modified soils. Each chapter presents soil profiles supplemented by landscape information and basic analytical data. Then, genetic interpretations of soil properties related to soil forming agents are given as schematic catenas. When one factor changes while the others are more or less stable, the soil sequence can be recognised. Depending on the dominant soil-forming factor affecting repeated soil patterns, different types can be distinguished. Chapters are arranged roughly in accordance with the main soil-forming process in sequences, and referring to the WRB key (peat formation, vertic and gleyic process, podzolisation, humus accumulation, clay illuviation), with one small exception - the Technosols have been placed at the end of book. The main objective of this book is to present the diversity of relations between soil and landscape, climate, hydrology and human relations, and to present interpretations reflecting the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (2015) classification with comments on the choice of qualifiers. Sixteen Reference Soil Groups are featured, and represented by 67 soil profiles. The secondary objective is pedological education. One of the aims of soil science education is to explain to students the relations between landscape and soil cover. The patterns of soil units within landscapes are to some extent predictable. The collected data is intended as a useful educational tool in teaching soil science, supporting understanding of the reasons for the variability of soil cover, and also as a WRB classification guideline. The Atlas was developed as part of the EU Erasmus+ FACES project (Freely Accessible Central European Soil). Marcin Šwitoniak, Przemyslaw Charzynsk

Regularities of vertical element distribution in the soil profile in Lithuania

Vertical alternation of chemical composition in Lithuanian soil profile has been investigated in the study. Investigations are based on the certified analytical data, by applying standard mathematical–statistical data processing that enables to justify the vertical distribution patterns of trace and major elements and obtain internationally comparable concluding results on the national soil geochemistry. Soil grain size analysis and chemical analysis of separated sand, silt and clay particles revealed the relation between the soil grain size and chemical composition. Investigation of chemical composition of the soil parent material reflected its dominance as soil forming factor. Geochemical survey of the 74 individual soil profiles, representing all soil regions and main soil types, allowed to expose various soil forming processes and on its background to generalize geochemical features and ascertain the dominant ones in the sand–loamy sand and the loam–clay soil of Lithuania. On the base of original geochemical data the model geochemical soil profile was created and the dominant geochemical process was determined – element depletion and removal out of soil profile prevails in Lithuania

Agricultural areas within hummocky moraine landscapes of north-east Lithuania

Lietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVilniaus universitetasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Soils of eastern slope of the Curonian Spit dune in Juodkrantė old-growth forest

Lietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Ekspedicijos maršrutas

Lietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centro filialas Žemdirbystės institutasLietuvos dirvožemininkų draugijaLietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVilniaus universitetasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Soil Proverbs in Lithuania

Gamtos tyrimų centrasLetonikos centrasLietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutasLietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

The content of potassium as indicator of soil profile formation and its physical properties change

Lietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centro filialas Žemdirbystės institutasLietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centro Žemdirbystės institutasLietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVilniaus universitetasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Potassium as an indicator of soil profile formation and change of its physico-chemical properties

Taking into account the importance of potassium for soil diagnostic puiposes, the investigations on the formation peculiarities of the youngest (Northern Lithuania) and the oldest (Eastern Lithuania) loamy soils were carried out in 2016-2017. Having made a soil profile description, the allocation of each investigated soil was done according to the WRB classification system (2014 edition). Soil samples for physico-chemical analysis were collected from the genetic horizons of the soil profiles. Undisturbed core samples for determining bulk density of soil and total porosity were collected using stainless steel rings (100 cm3 volumes) in four replications. Bulk density and total porosity were calculated from undisturbed soil samples. For chemical analyses, the soil samples were air-dried, crushed and sieved through a 2-mm sieve and homogeneously mixed. The data obtained shows that total potassium content has a direct strong correlation (r = 0.83 in Luvisol and r = 0.83-0.98 in Planosol) with soil clay and silt fractions content, thus, indicating a direct relationship between these soil constituents. However, this relationship remains statistically significant only in subsoil whose formation is not affected by SOC. The distribution of mobile K in studied soil profiles is related to the distribution of soil organic material and its migration throughout the soil profile. The correlation of total and mobile K with SOC can be estimated only by analysing the distribution of potassium in the humic soil horizons. The negative correlation (r = -0.97) indicates that the soil is not affected by the agricultural activity. The positive strong correlation (r = 0.99) shows a direct or indirect effect of adjacent agricultural areas and potassium soiption in soil organic matter. The correlation between soil bulk density ant total porosity it was estimated a little bit lower in the Planosol compared to the LuvisolLietuvos agrarinių ir miškų mokslų centro Žemdirbystės institutasLietuvos geologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijosVilniaus universitetasVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij