Worldwide Examination of Magnetic Responses to Heavy Metal Pollution in Agricultural Soils

Xuanxuan Zhao, Jiaxing Zhang, Ruijun Ma (), Hui Luo, Tao Wan, Dongyang Yu and Yuanqian Hong
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Xuanxuan Zhao: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiaxing Zhang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Ruijun Ma: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Hui Luo: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Tao Wan: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Dongyang Yu: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yuanqian Hong: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: Over the last decade, a large number of studies have been conducted on heavy metals and magnetic susceptibility ( χ l f ) measurement in soils. Yet, a global understanding of soil contamination and magnetic responses remains elusive due to the limited scope or sampling sites of these studies. Hence, we attempted to explore a pollution proxy on a global scale. Through a meta-analysis of data from 102 published studies, our research aimed to provide a worldwide overview of heavy metal pollution and magnetic responses in agriculture soils. We mapped the geographic distribution of nine heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, As, Cd, Mn, and Fe) in agricultural soils and explored their pollution sources and contributions. Since 2011, The accumulation of heavy metals has escalated, with industrial activities (31.5%) being the largest contributor, followed by agricultural inputs (27.1%), atmospheric deposition (22.66%), and natural sources (18.74%). The study reports χ l f ranging from 6.45 × 10 −8 m 3 /kg to 319.23 × 10 −8 m 3 /kg and χ f d from 0.59% and 12.85%, with the majority of the samples being below 6%, indicating heavy metal influence mainly from human activities. Pearson’s correlation and redundancy analysis show significant positive correlations of Pb, Zn, and Cu with χ l f (r = 0.51–0.53) and Mn and Fe with χ f d (r = 0.50–0.53), while Pb, Zn, Cu, and As metals were shown to be key factors of variation in magnetic response. The average heavy metal pollution load index of 2.03 suggests moderate global agricultural soil pollution, with higher heavy metal contamination in areas of high χ l f . Regression analysis confirms soil is considered to be non-polluted below χ l f of 26 × 10 − 8 m 3 / k g and polluted above this threshold, with all contamination factors of metals showing a linear correlation with χ l f (R = 0.72), indicating that a significant relationship between χ l f and the geochemical properties of soils continues to exist on a global scale. This study provides new insights for large-scale agricultural soil quality assessment and magnetic response.

Keywords: agricultural soil; heavy metal; magnetic susceptibility; RDA; PLI; globe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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