Trace metal distribution in surface soils of Novi Sad and bank sediment of the Danube river

Abstract

Concentration of Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, As, Mn, and Fe in the Novi Sad city urban area surface soil samples and the Danube bank sediment sample were measured in 2001. The results correspond to a network of six representative sampling sites in which the main soil properties, organic matter, water content, pH, and particle size have also been determined. The geometric mean content of Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb obtained from soil samples throughout the Novi Sad urban area (61.32, 28.39, 0.151, and 2.70 mg/kg, respectively) was compared with the geometric mean concentration in world soils. It was revealed only one site (sampling site No. 3) with Zn and Cu content higher than the allowed ones set by Dutch authorities used for investigation of a site for possible rehabilitation (Dutch A values).