Spatiotemporal Differences and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution of Roadside Plant Leaves in Baoji City, China

Junhui Zhang, Yunjiu Guan, Qing Lin, Yaxin Wang, Bowen Wu, Xin Liu, Bo Wang and Dunsheng Xia
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Junhui Zhang: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Yunjiu Guan: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Qing Lin: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Yaxin Wang: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Bowen Wu: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Xin Liu: College of Geography and Environment, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China
Bo Wang: College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
Dunsheng Xia: College of Earth and Environment Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: The concentration of heavy metals in plants’ leaves can effectively indicate the spatiotemporal differences of environmental pollution, providing a scientific basis for the monitoring of urban air quality. The concentration of Ni, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in the leaves of five different species ( Ophiopogon japonicus , Ligustrum vicaryi , Platanus acerifolia , Sophora japonica and Cedrus deodara ) were measured, which were from I, II, III, IV (0.05 m, 0.25 m, 1 m, 4 m) at different times (May and November) in the green belt of Baoji city. The degree of heavy metal pollution and potential ec ological risk were analyzed. The results revealed that the concentration of Zn, Cu and Pb in roadside plant leaves was relatively high. In May, the heavy metal concentration was the highest in the leaves of C. deodara , whereas this was the case for S. japonica in November. Arbors were more effective at capturing particles from the atmosphere than low plants. At the same height, areas with high levels of heavy metal pollution in May were basically the same as that in November, and areas with high levels of pollution were affected by traffic and industry. The pollution index and the comprehensive index of potential ecological risk of element Cd were the highest, indicating that the potential harm of Cd to the environment should receive more attention from the Government.

Keywords: atmospheric particulate; plant leaves; heavy metal pollution; ecological risk assessment; Nemero comprehensive pollution index; Baoji city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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