Student: Hannah Binner
Supervisors: Maria McNamara & Tim Sullivan

Contamination of urban recreational areas such as parks, playgrounds and sportsgrounds is caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors and can negatively impact on these important community amenities. My research will survey the extent of heavy metal contamination of urban soils in southern Ireland by conducting a systematic survey of soils from urban recreational sites across southern Ireland. Portable- plus synchrotron-X-ray analysis will be used to determine metal concentrations in soil samples and synchrotron-X-ray absorption spectroscopy will determine the bioavailability of metals in selected samples. The research will also test for links between metal bioavailability and the type of organic matter present in urban soils.

This material is based upon research supported in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under Grant Number 13/RC/2092 and co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund and by iCRAG industry partners.

The following works have been disseminated as part of this project: