Baseline values for metals in soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica: the extent of anthropogenic pollution

Abstract

Metal contents (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn) have been measured in 30 surface soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, yielding values (in milligrams kilogram(-1)) of 41.57-80.65 (Zn), 2.76-60.52 (Pb), 0.04-0.34 (Cd), 7.18-25.03 (Ni), 43,255-70,534 (Fe), 449-1,401 (Mn), 17.10-64.90 (Cr), 1,440-25,684 (Mg), 10,941-49,354 (Ca), 51.10-176.50 (Cu), 4,388-12,707 (Ti), 28,038-83,849 (Al), and for Hg (in nanograms gram(-1)) 0.01-0.06. Relative cumulative frequency analysis was used to determine the baseline values for the 13 metals. Compared with adjacent areas in Antarctica, Mg and Ni are significantly lower, but Cu is significantly higher than that of McMurdo Station. Enrichment factor analysis and the geo-accumulation index method were applied in order to determine the extent of anthropogenic contamination, and both show that Pb, Cd, and Hg have been significantly increased by human activities. Principal component analysis was used to identify the sources of metals in these soil samples.