| Abstract: | A total of 664 soil samples distributed among different geographic regions and soil types were collected across Wisconsin to describe the distribution of arsenic relative to parent material, soil texture, and drainage class. Soils from 6 inches in depth were composited, digested in aqua regia, and analyzed for 17 trace elements. Observed soil arsenic concentrations range from a high of 39 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to less than the laboratory detection limit of 1 mg/kg. Ten samples with soil arsenic concentrations greater than 8.5 mg/kg were determined to be significantly separate from the main cluster of the dataset. With these outliers removed, overall soil arsenic concentrations in Wisconsin have a median value of 1.8 mg/kg, and the 95-percent upper confidence limit of the mean is 2.4 mg/kg.
Soils with sandy glacial outwash as a parent material have a lower median arsenic concentration (1.0 mg/kg) than soils forming in other parent materials (1.5 to 3.0 mg/kg). Soil texture and drainage category also influence median arsenic concentration. Finer grained soils have a higher observed range of concentrations. For loamy and loess-dominated soil groups, drainage category influences the median arsenic concentration and observed range of values, but a consistent relationship within the data is not apparent. Statistical analysis of the 16 other elements are presented in this report, but the relationships of concentrations to soil properties or geographic areas were not examined. |
| Genre: | USGS Numbered Series |
| ProdID: | 70037809 |
| Citation Author: | Stensvold, Krista A. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | Wisconsin Water Resource Center |
| Citation Datum: | |
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| Citation Edition: | First posted March 15, 2012; Revised February 25, 2013 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | |
| Citation LatN: | 0473000 |
| Citation LatS: | 0420000 |
| Citation LonE: | -0860000 |
| Citation LonW: | -0930000 |
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| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | Y |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | v, 13 p.; Appendix |
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| Citation Public Comments: | Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Department of Health Services |
| Citation Publisher: | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Citation Series: | Scientific Investigations Report |
| Citation Series Code: | SIR |
| Citation Series Number: | 2011-5202 |
| Citation Search Results Text: | Distribution and variation of arsenic in Wisconsin surface soils, with data on other trace elements; 2012; SIR; 2011-5202; Stensvold, Krista A. |
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| Citation Year: | 2012 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Distribution and variation of arsenic in Wisconsin surface soils, with data on other trace elements; 2012; SIR; 2011-5202; Stensvold, Krista A. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/sir_2011_5202.gif |
| URL (INDEX PAGE): | http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5202/ |
| Date Other: | Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00 -0500 |
| Publisher: | U.S. Geological Survey |
