Peer-reviewed articles 17,970 +


Title: ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN SNOW: A CASE STUDY OF NICKEL AND COPPER IN JELGAVA, LATVIA
ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN SNOW: A CASE STUDY OF NICKEL AND COPPER IN JELGAVA, LATVIA

PlumX Article Metrics by Elsevier
Jovita Pilecka-Ulcugaceva; Anda Bakute; Maris Bertins; Kristaps Siltumens; Inga Grinfelde
10.5593/sgem2024v/4.2/s18.25
10.5593/sgem2024v/4.2
1314-2704
978-619-7603-77-4
English
24
4.2
•    Prof. DSc. Oleksandr Trofymchuk, UKRAINE 
•    Prof. Dr. hab. oec. Baiba Rivza, LATVIA
Air Quality, Pollution Control, and Climate Change Mitigation
Snow water pollution, especially from heavy metals, is a growing global environmental concern, as urbanization and industrial activities increasingly contribute to the contamination of precipitation. Snow, acting as a natural filter, accumulates atmospheric pollutants, which are subsequently released during snowmelt, entering stormwater systems and surface water bodies. This issue has been observed across Europe, North America, and other industrialized regions, where heavy metals such as nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) are prevalent contaminants. In Latvia, studies on snow pollution remain limited, making it crucial to understand how urbanization impacts snow water quality, particularly in cities like Jelgava. This study, conducted during the winters of 2023 and 2024, focuses on the accumulation of heavy metals in snow samples from Jelgava city. A total of 177 snow samples were collected each year from various urban locations, alongside 3 samples from outside the city as controls. The aim is to identify areas with the highest pollution levels and assess their potential contribution to stormwater pollution. The results revealed that nickel concentrations in the urban snow samples had an average of 0.124 mg/L, with values ranging from 0.033 mg/L to a maximum of 0.393 mg/L. Copper concentrations, however, showed greater variability, with an average of 0.906 mg/L, a minimum of 0.000 mg/L, and a maximum of 4.427 mg/L. Pollution areas were identified using Arc GIS and using the IDW method. These findings indicate that urban snowmelt in Jelgava could be a significant source of heavy metal pollution, particularly copper, to the city's drainage systems and natural water bodies.
[1] Taka M., Sillanpaa N., Niemi T., Warsta L., Kokkonen T., Setala H., Heavy metals from heavy land use? Spatio-temporal patterns of urban runoff metal loads, Science of the Total Environment, vol. 817, 2022.
[2] Belcik M., Grzegorzek M., Canales F. A., Struk-Sokolowska J., Kazmierczak B., Examination of interactions between heavy metals and benzotriazoles in rainwater runoff and snowmelt in an urban catchment in Poland, Water Resources and Industry, vol. 31, 2024.
[4] Shahid M., Pourrut B., Dumat C., Nadeem M., Aslam M., Pinelli E., Heavy-metal-induced reactive oxygen species: Phytotoxicity and physicochemical changes in plants. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 232, pp1-44, 2014
[5] Bityukova L., Shogenova A., Birke M. Urban geochemistry: A study of element distributions in the soils of Tallinn (Estonia). Environmental Geochemistry and Health, vol. 22(2), pp 173-193, 2000.
[6] Wuana R. A., Okieimen, F. E., Heavy metals in contaminated soils: A review of sources, chemistry, risks and best available strategies for remediation. ISRN Ecology, 2011.
[7] Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (2022). Toxicological Profile for Copper. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Draft for Public Comment, Public Health Service.
[8] Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (2023). Toxicological Profile for Nickel. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Draft for Public Comment, Public Health Service.
[9] Pilecka J., Grinfelde I., Purmalis O., Valujeva K., Ulcugacevs V., 20th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference: Energy and Clean Technologies, SGEM 2020, Bulgaria, vol. 2020-August/issue 4.1, pp 507-514, 2020
[10] Official statistics portal, Population by sex by main age groups in regions, republican cities, counties and 21 development centers at the beginning of the year – Territorial unit and Time period. Available at: https://data.stat.gov.lv/pxweb/lv/OSP_PUB/START/IRD010/table/tableViewLayout1/ (in Latvian). Last accessed 10.10.2024.
[11] The Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre is a governmental service under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia. Temperature and other statistical parameters. Available at: https://videscentrs.lvgmc.lv/noverojumu-arhivs/meteo/30036/any/4341/2023-12-25/2024-01-11 (in Latvian). Last accessed 10.10.2024.
[12] Grinfelde I., Pilecka-Ulcugaceva J., Bertins M., Viksna A., Rudovica V., Liepa S., Burlakovs J., Dataset of trace elements concentrations in snow samples collected in Jelgava City (Latvia) in December 2020, Data in Brief, vol. 38, Article number 107300, 2021.
[13] Cakaj A., Hanc A., Lisiak-Zielinska M., Borowiak K., Drapikowska M., Trifolium pratense and the heavy metal content in various urban areas. Sustainability, vol. 15(9), 2023.
[14] Devi V. N. M., Sources and toxicological effects of some heavy metals—a mini review, Journal of Toxicological Studies, vol. 2(1), 2024.
[3] Askarov D. M., Амрин М., Izekenova A., Beisenbinova Z. B., Досмухаметов, А. Т., Health status and quality of life in the population near zhezkazgan copper smelter, Kazakhstan, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, pp 1-13, 2023.
[15] Iroegbulem I. U., Egereonu U. U., Ogukwe C. E., Egereonu J. C., Okoro N. J., Nwoko, C. O., Assessment of heavy metals in rainwater from metropolis and suburbs, lagos state, nigeria. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, vol. 13(9), pp 831-857, 2023.
[16] Tang S., Wang C., Song J., Ihenetu S. C., Li G., Advances in studies on heavy metals in urban soil: a bibliometric analysis, Sustainability, vol.16(2), 860, 2024.
[17] Li Y., Zhang Y., Chen J., Yang G., Li H., Wang J., Li W., Ecological risk assessment and source analysis of heavy metals in farmland soil in yangchun city based on apcs-mlr and geostatistics, Agriculture, vol. 14(2), 309, 2024
[18] Lubal M. J., Impact of heavy metal pollution on the environment, Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology, vol. 45(11), pp 97-105, 2024.
[19] Boysan Canal, S., Bozkurt M. A., Yilmaz H., Humic acid ameliorates phytoremediation, plant growth and antioxidative enzymes in forage turnip (brassica rapa l.), Plant, Soil and Environment, vol. 69(12), pp 567-576, 2023.
[20] Taher A. A., Sabah Lateef Assi A. M., Abdulameer H. K., Study of the heavy metal pollution levels in some soils with various locations in babil governorate, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1371(8), 082036, 2024.
conference
https://doi.org/10.5593/sgem2024v/4.2/s18.25
Download PDF
ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN SNOW: A CASE STUDY OF NICKEL AND COPPER IN JELGAVA, LATVIA
Proceedings of 24th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2024
24th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2024, 27 - 30 November, 2024
Proceedings Paper
STEF92 Technology
International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Surveying Geology and Mining Ecology Management, SGEM
SWS Scholarly Society; Acad Sci Czech Republ; Latvian Acad Sci; Polish Acad Sci; Russian Acad Sci; Serbian Acad Sci and Arts; Natl Acad Sci Ukraine; Natl Acad Sci Armenia; Sci Council Japan; European Acad Sci, Arts and Letters; Acad Fine Arts Zagreb Croatia; Croatian Acad Sci and Arts; Acad Sci Moldova; Montenegrin Acad Sci and Arts; Georgian Acad Sci; Acad Fine Arts and Design Bratislava; Russian Acad Arts; Turkish Acad Sci.
177-184
27 - 30 November, 2024
website
10116
Waste burning, metal industry, pollution accumulation, food chains, toxicity

25th SGEM International Conference on Earth & Planetary Sciences


International GeoConference SGEM2025
27 June - 6 July, 2025 / Albena, Bulgaria

Read More		   

SGEM Vienna GREEN "Green Science for Green Life"


Extended Scientific Sessions SGEM Vienna GREEN
3 -6 December, 2025 / Vienna, Austria

Read More
   

A scientific platform for Art-Inspired Scientists!


The Magical World Where Science meets Art
Vienna, Austria

Read More