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Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations

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Published on: September 11, 2016

Lead penetration and leaching in a complex temperate soil profile.

Malin E Kylander¹, Antonio Martinez Cortizas, Sebastien Rauch

¹Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ United Kingdom.

Environmental Science & Technology

|June 5, 2008

Summary

This study investigated lead (Pb) behavior in Spanish soils, finding slow migration rates. Complex soils retain Pb for millennia, suggesting limited immediate risk to groundwater from Pb leaching.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Soil Science
Geochemistry

Background:

Anthropogenic lead (Pb) loss from soil organic layers raises concerns about groundwater contamination.
Complex colluvial soils require investigation for Pb behavior and historical pollution archiving.

Purpose of the Study:

Evaluate Pb migration rates and behavior in a 10,000-year-old Spanish soil.
Assess the potential of complex soils as archives of atmospheric Pb pollution.

Main Methods:

Analyzed Pb concentrations and isotope ratios in total, acid-extractable, and residual soil fractions.
Compared soil Pb records with a peat-based atmospheric Pb deposition record.

Main Results:

Acid-extractable Pb was more radiogenic than residual Pb in deeper layers, with the opposite in surface layers (<15 cm).
Soil Pb records showed pollution signals but did not accurately reconstruct atmospheric deposition history.
Estimated Pb migration rate is ~0.01 cm/year, indicating retention for ~20,000 years.

Conclusions:

Complex soils exhibit slow Pb migration, retaining it within the soil column for extended periods.
While soil Pb records show pollution, they are not precise archives of past atmospheric deposition.
The slow Pb movement suggests limited immediate risk of rapid leaching into groundwater.