Publication
Title
Vegetation reflectance spectroscopy for biomonitoring of heavy metal pollution in urban soils
Author
Abstract
Heavy metals in urban soils may impose a threat to public health and may negatively affect urban tree viability. Vegetation spectroscopy techniques applied to bio-indicators bring new opportunities to characterize heavy metal contamination, without being constrained by laborious soil sampling and labbased sample processing. Here we used Tilia tomentosa trees, sampled across three European cities, as bio-indicators i) to investigate the impacts of elevated concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) on leaf mass per area (LMA), total chlorophyll content (Chl), chlorophyll a to b ratio (Chla:Chlb) and the maximal PSII photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm); and ii) to evaluate the feasibility of detecting Cd and Pb contamination using leaf reflectance spectra. For the latter, we used a partial-least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to train spectral-based models for the classification of Cd and/or Pb contamination. We show that elevated soil Pb concentrations induced a significant decrease in the LMA and Chla:Chlb, with no decrease in Chl.We did not observe pronounced reductions of Fv/Fm due to Cd and Pb contamination. Elevated Cd and Pb concentrations induced contrasting spectral changes in the red-edge (690e740 nm) region, which might be associated with the proportional changes in leaf pigments. PLS-DA models allowed for the classifications of Cd and Pb contamination, with a classification accuracy of 86% (Kappa ¼ 0.48) and 83% (Kappa ¼ 0.66), respectively. PLS-DA models also allowed for the detection of a collective elevation of soil Cd and Pb, with an accuracy of 66% (Kappa ¼ 0.49). This study demonstrates the potential of using reflectance spectroscopy for biomonitoring of heavy metal contamination in urban soils.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Environmental pollution. - London, 1987, currens
Publication
London : 2018
ISSN
0269-7491 [print]
1873-6424 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2018.09.053
Volume/pages
243 (2018) , p. 1912-1922
ISI
000449892700120
Pubmed ID
30408880
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.01.2024
Last edited 03.01.2024
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