TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of biological indicators to assess recovery of hydrocarbon impacted soils
AU - Dawson, Julian J C
AU - Godsiffe, E. J.
AU - Thompson, Ian P
AU - Ralebitso-Senior, Theresia Komang
AU - Killham, Ken S
AU - Paton, Graeme I
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Remediation programmes are considered complete when human risk-based criteria are met. These targets are unrelated to the ecological parameters that may be important with regard to future soil uses. As a consequence, there has been a move towards the consideration of biological indicators for hazard assessment in conjunction with the remediation of contaminated soils. This study uses a range of biological assays to assess the ecological health of soils from a former gas works site undergoing various remediation treatments. The indicators that optimally differentiated the extent of soil remediation were biomass-C, respiration, dehydrogenase activity, earthworm toxicity and mustard seed germination. Although they had different end-points, once robust and sensitive biological indicators were incorporated into a quantitative soil quality index, they gave a clearer representation of ecological health than chemical data alone by their integration of contamination effects at a number of trophic levels.
AB - Remediation programmes are considered complete when human risk-based criteria are met. These targets are unrelated to the ecological parameters that may be important with regard to future soil uses. As a consequence, there has been a move towards the consideration of biological indicators for hazard assessment in conjunction with the remediation of contaminated soils. This study uses a range of biological assays to assess the ecological health of soils from a former gas works site undergoing various remediation treatments. The indicators that optimally differentiated the extent of soil remediation were biomass-C, respiration, dehydrogenase activity, earthworm toxicity and mustard seed germination. Although they had different end-points, once robust and sensitive biological indicators were incorporated into a quantitative soil quality index, they gave a clearer representation of ecological health than chemical data alone by their integration of contamination effects at a number of trophic levels.
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.06.020
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.06.020
M3 - Article
SN - 0038-0717
VL - 39
SP - 164
EP - 177
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
IS - 1
ER -