Heavy metals in the forest soils of the Kola Peninsula

Abstract

The results of 40-year monitoring of the level of heavy metal pollution of Al-Fe-humus podzols of pine forests in the Kola Peninsula showed that, despite on 5–9-fold decrease in the volume of atmospheric emissions by the “Severonickel” smelter complex, the phytotoxicity of soils remains high in the buffer zone and is very high within the impact zone. Under the conditions of a field experiment, sparingly soluble polymetallic dust is very slowly transformed into more mobile forms of heavy metals available to plants.