Objective
Assessment of the risks posed to terrestrial ecosystems by heavy metal pollution requires a thorough knowledge of the chemistry of the metal in question, particularly its bioavailable forms, and how this relates to the impacts which it as upon the ecosystem. Much recent work on the impact of pollutants on soils has focused on the microbial community, particularly the effects at the community level and the long-term changes brought about in microbial populations due to the development of selective tolerance to pollution. On the chemistry side, the importance of metal speciation in determining bioavailability has long been recognised, and sophisticated speciation models able to cope with simulation of natural environments and materials are now being developed and used.
This project will bring together chemists, soil scientists and microbiologists to study two overriding themes. Firstly, the interrelationships between metal chemistry and microbiology in soils of two areas of Russia: the northwest Kola Peninsula, subject to severe chronic pollution from the ore-smelting industry, and the Moscow region (Pushchino). Metal chemistry will be studied by measurements of metal levels in soil and soil solution, which will be linked through chemical speciation modelling. The metal adsorption properties of Kola Peninsula soils will be characterised and modelled in detail. Classical measurements of the microbial population - microbial biomass, metabolism, functional and metabolic diversity, will be carried out in conjunction with measurements of pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT). Relationships between metal chemistry, the classical microbial measurements and the PICT measurements will be examined. This will provide information on the usefulness of ecological measurements in risk assessment.
Secondly, the project will examine the dynamics of metal behaviour in the Kola Peninsula topsoils by constructing a dynamic model of solution dynamics and solute chemistry and testing it against laboratory and field observations of soil solute composition and dynamics. The focus will be on the rate of accumulation and loss of metal in the organic (mor) layer. The model, if successfully tested, will allow tentative assessment of the response time of Kola soils to past changes in metal deposition patterns, allowing some predictions of the soil response to future emission scenarios. This should allow a better assessment to be made of the future ecological impact of the smelting industry emissions.
The results of the project will be presented and discussed at international conferences. Results will also be published in the literature and a monograph on the project will also be produced.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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Coordinator
LA22 0LP Ambleside
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.