Mapping soil pollution

An extensive British Geological Survey 40 years in the making shows the effects of environmental pollution on the soil across the UK.

British Geological Survey (BGS) scientists have discovered significantly elevated concentrations of several elements in the soil within many urban areas of the UK. The findings are based on the most extensive snapshot of the UK’s topsoil chemical data ever produced, which has been made available to the public for free as part of a world-leading BGS project.

Over four decades, several hundred scientists collected around 58,000 topsoil samples from rural and urban areas across the UK. The data revealed that several elements – including antimony, arsenic, cadmium, calcium, copper, lead, tin and zinc – are present in the soils of many of the UK’s urban areas as a result of environmental pollution.

This is the first time that such a large-scale dataset has been used to evaluate environmental pollution in the UK. It provides a reference point for establishing the distribution of several potentially harmful elements in the urban environment.

Paul Everett, Geochemical Survey Expert at BGS, says: “This data is useful for a multitude of purposes and will help to pave the way for enhanced decision-making around the planning and development of the communities in which we live.

“Through a greater understanding of the mix of geochemical elements, the UK can enhance its strategic land-use planning. This will have a significant effect on decision-making around land use, environmental hazards, food production, soil health assessments and identifying new opportunities for mineral exploration.”

Open-access map

Geochemical maps produced by the study allow us to visualise the distribution of different elements in topsoil across the country. Users can apply a colour scheme of their choice by downloading the grids and images and using freely available graphics or geographical information system software to re-stretch the colour ramps.

The ability to pinpoint the distribution of 41 different chemical elements and identify areas where human activities have affected soil geochemistry gives us invaluable insights and forms a key baseline for researchers from a wide range of disciplines.

The data is available for all to view and download for free on the UK Soil Observatory (UKSO) web portal and will likely prove an essential resource for scientists, developers, local authorities and environmentalists for centuries to come. 

To view the UKSO web portal, visit b.link/UKSOwebportal

Image credit | contains UKSO materials-©-UKRI | iStock