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Evaluation of metals that are potentially toxic to agricultural surface soils, using statistical analysis, in northwestern Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Heavy metals in agricultural soils enter the food chain when taken up by plants. The main purpose of this work is to determine metal contamination in agricultural farms in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Fifty surface soil samples were collected from agricultural areas. The study focuses on the geochemical behavior of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, and determines the enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index. Multivariate statistical analysis, including principle component analysis and cluster analysis, is also applied to the acquired data. The study shows considerable variation in the concentrations of the analyzed metals in the studied soil samples. This variation in concentration is attributed to the intensity of agricultural activities and, possibly, to nearby fossil fuel combustion activities, as well as to traffic flows from highways and local roads. Multivariate analysis suggests that As, Cd, Hg and Pb are associated with anthropogenic activities, whereas Co, Cr, Cu and Zn are mainly controlled by geogenic activities. Hg and Pb show the maximum concentration in the analyzed samples as compared to the background concentration.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by NSTIP strategic technologies programs, number (Project No. 12-WAT 2453-02) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Yousef Nazzal

  2. Department of Geology and Geophysics, King Saud University, PO Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Faisal K. Zaidi, Bassam A. Abuamarah, Izrar Ahmed, Muhammad Naeem, Nassir S. N. Al-Arifi, Muhammad Kamran Jafri & Khaled M. Al-Kahtany

  3. College of Sustainability and Human Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Fares. M. Howari

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  1. Yousef Nazzal
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  2. Faisal K. Zaidi
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  3. Bassam A. Abuamarah
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  4. Izrar Ahmed
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  5. Fares. M. Howari
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  7. Nassir S. N. Al-Arifi
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  9. Khaled M. Al-Kahtany
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Correspondence to Yousef Nazzal.

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Nazzal, Y., Zaidi, F.K., Abuamarah, B.A. et al. Evaluation of metals that are potentially toxic to agricultural surface soils, using statistical analysis, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Environ Earth Sci 75, 171 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4800-1

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