Integrating magnetic proxies for efficient characterization of pollution at an urban mega-site

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Erwin Appel
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Physik des Erdkörpers
• Förderung: Förderung von 2013 bis 2016
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 237860288

Urban mega-sites with severe soil, water and air pollution are a major environmental threat. Characterizing of past and present pollution is a crucial step before necessary measures are taken. For cost-efficient site assessment the significance of chemical results can be improved by integrating fast complimentary methods, such as magnetic proxies. The use of magnetic parameters for pre-screening of heavy metal pollution in soil and air has far advanced during recent research. However, practical application is still hindered by the fact that the value of integrating magnetic approaches for treating complex mega-sites has not been demonstrated before. In such cases the questions on the degree und extent of contaminations demand flexible and extensive methodical adaptations. Linfen area in China is such a mega-site with complex conditions caused by the widespread urbanization and reworking of soil by agricultural activities. Linfen has been often listed as one of the most heavily polluted places in the world due to coal mining and related industries. Within the last few years strong actions of the local government have significantly improved the situation in this region. In our study we will investigate different archives to obtain comprehensive information of the current situation (using passive air samplers and dust deposition on leaves) and past conditions (accumulation studied in soil, industrial evolution recorded in lake sediments) and to explore spatial and temporal relationships between past and present pollution by using (geo-)statistical analyses. A second important task is to develop a suitable index for map similarity analysis which allows proving the value of integrating magnetic proxies quantitatively. The knowledge gain from a successful site assessment of the complex Linfen mega-case and the availability of a meaningful map similarity index will make magnetic proxy methodologies more fit for integrated site characterization of a wider range of polluted sites.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen