Title: The geostatistical reassessment of soil contamination with lead in metropolitan Warsaw and its vicinity

Authors: Jaroslaw Zawadzki, Piotr Fabijanczyk

Addresses: Environmental Engineering Systems Institute, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Nowowiejska 20, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland. ' Environmental Engineering Systems Institute, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Nowowiejska 20, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland

Abstract: Soils of urban agglomerations are often exposed to pollution with lead, which high concentrations are frequently observed. The main sources of lead contamination are airborne particulate depositions and exhaust fumes. The study area encompassed Warsaw city, outskirts and fragments of Kampinoski National and Mazowiecki Landscape Parks. The scope of the study was to analyse the spatial distribution of lead content in soils using ordinary kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation, distinct from previously applied (in 1992) the least curvature method. Results show that lead concentrations are relatively low and only a few areas are characterised by high risk of contamination.

Keywords: soil pollution; heavy metals; lead pollution; urban area; Poland; geostatistics; sequential Gaussian simulation; kriging; urban agglomerations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2008.021127

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2008 Vol.35 No.1, pp.1 - 12

Published online: 05 Nov 2008 *

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