Ecological Assessment of Heavy Metal Content in Ukrainian Soils
Więcej
Ukryj
1
Sumy National Agrarian University, H. Kondratieva St., 160, Sumy, 40021, Ukraine
2
Royal Agricultural University, GL7 6JS, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
3
National Scientific Center Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research Named after O.N.Sokolovsky, Ukraine
Autor do korespondencji
Yevheniia Butenko
Sumy National Agrarian University, H. Kondratieva St., 160, Sumy, 40021, Ukraine
J. Ecol. Eng. 2024; 25(11):100-108
SŁOWA KLUCZOWE
DZIEDZINY
STRESZCZENIE
Military actions bring many negative consequences both in the short and long term. In particular, not only people suffer during armed aggression, but also the ecosystem and agrocenoses. This article will examine the impact of bombardment of agricultural land with aerial bombs and establish whether it is really contaminated with heavy metals. Samples were collected in two regions of Ukraine – Sumy and Chernihiv – from craters formed by bombing. The soil was taken directly from the bottom of the crater, at three points on its slope and 20 meters from the crater, in a conditionally undamaged area. The soil was analyzed in the laboratory using X–ray fluorescence analysis. The study analyzed the content of barium, zirconium, rubidium, zinc, and vanadium soil samples from a crater. The impact of aerial bombings on the concentration of heavy metals in the soils of the farms under investigation is unclear, it may be inferred. The concentration of barium, zirconium, and manganese on the crater slopes is higher in certain farms than in others, but overall trends do not show an obvious increase in these elements when compared to the control sites. However, several farms did not report significant shifts in the heavy metal composition, indicating how challenging it is to monitor whether explosions affect these elements' concentrations. With a few exceptions, other heavy elements including strontium, rubidium, and zinc did not consistently exhibit excesses in the craters. Therefore, further, more thorough assessment of soil contamination should be carried out and methods for remediation should be developed.