The Thriassio plain is located 25 km west of Athens city, the capital of Greece. Two major towns (Elefsina and Aspropyrgos), heavy industry plants, medium to large-scale manufacturing, logistics plants, and agriculture comprise the main land uses of the studied area. The aim of the present study was to measure the total and available concentrations of Cr, Zn, Ni, Pb, Co, Mn, Ba, Cu, and Fe in the top soils of the plain, and to asses soil contamination by these metals by using the geoaccumulation index (I geo), the enrichment factor (EF), and the availability ratio (AR) as soil pollution indexes. Soil samples were collected from 90 sampling sites, and aqua regia and DTPA extractions were carried out to determine total and available metal forms, respectively. Median total Cr, Zn, Ni, Pb, Co, Mn, Ba, Cu, and Fe concentrations were 78, 155, 81, 112, 24, 321, 834, 38, and 16 × 10(3) mg kg(-1), respectively. The available fractions showed much lower values with medians of 0.4, 5.6, 1.7, 6.9, 0.8, 5.7, 19.8, 2.1, and 2.9 mg kg(-1). Though median total metal concentrations are not considered as particularly high, the I geo and the EF values indicate moderate to heavy soil enrichment. For certain metals such as Cr, Ni, Cu, and Ba, the different distribution patterns between the EFs and the ARs suggest different origin of the total and the available metal forms. The evaluation of the EF and AR data sets for the soils of the two towns further supports the argument that the EFs can well demonstrate the long-term history of soil pollution and that the ARs can adequately portray the recent history of soil pollution.

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Green roofs could be a way to increase vegetation in the center of old Mediterranean cities. The need for conservation of local character and biodiversity requires the use of native plant species, whereas the deficiency of water, particularly in semiarid regions, requires the use of species with reduced irrigation needs. Moreover, the aged buildings lead to the use of lightweight green roof constructions. Therefore, research was undertaken to investigate the possibility of using three Mediterranean aromatic xerophytes, Artemisia absinthium L., Helichrysum italicum Roth., and H. orientale L., at an extensive green roof in Athens, Greece. Simultaneously, the possibility of using locally produced grape marc compost was investigated. Substrate type and depth and irrigation frequency effects on growth of these species were studied. Rooted cuttings were planted mid-May in plastic containers with a green roof infrastructure fitted (moisture retention and protection of the insulation mat, drainage layer, and filter sheet) and placed on a fully exposed third floor flat roof at the Agricultural University of Athens. Two types of substrates were used, grape marc compost:soil:perlite (2:3:5, v/v) and peat:soil:perlite (2:3:5, v/v, as a control), as well as two substrate depths, 7.5 (shallow) and 15 cm (deep), and two irrigation frequencies, sparse (5 or 7 days in shallow and deep substrate, respectively) and normal (3 or 5 days in shallow and deep substrate, respectively). Increased contents of macroelements, total phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in particular, were recorded in the compost-amended substrate, whereas both substrates had similar physical properties. Plant growth was recorded from May to October. The deep compost-amended substrate, independent of irrigation frequency, resulted in taller plants with bigger diameter and aboveground dry weight in all species. However, a remarkable result was that shallow compost-amended substrate with sparse irrigation resulted in similar or even bigger plant growth of all plant species compared with deep peat-amended substrate with normal irrigation. Thus, all three species were found suitable for use in Mediterranean extensive or semi-intensive green roofs, whereas the use of grape marc compost in the substrate allowed for less water consumption and the reduction of substrate depth without restriction of plant growth at the establishment phase and the first period of drought.

Elevated heavy metal concentrations in urban top soils are principal indicators of environmental pollution; however, relative data on the heavy metal status in soils of Greek island towns, that are regional administrative centers and popular tourist destinations, are missing. A survey was conducted to examine heavy metal concentrations in the urban soils of Ermoupolis, the capital of Syros island and of the prefecture of Cyclades complex in the Aegean Sea. Total (aqua-regia extracted) and available (DTPA extracted) concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, Sn and Fe were determined in top soil samples collected from green areas and open spaces of the town and in surface samples from inland reference soils of the island. Mean values for the aqua-regia extracted fraction of Cu, Pb and Zn were 117, 155 and 440 mg kg(-1) respectively, up to four times higher than the respective mean values of the reference soils. Enrichment factors (EFs) for these metals indicated high accumulation in the urban top soils and the available to total concentration ratio of Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe was higher for the urban compared to the reference soils, suggesting differences in metal sequestration, resulting in higher metal availability in the urban soils. GIS analysis was used to visualize the spatial distribution of EFs of the studied heavy metals. Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis, applied to aqua-regia and DTPA data sets, adequately elucidated the origin of metals grouped under each factor or cluster.

Soil salinization is directly related to the quantity and quality of food production, and often, to increased energy demands for high-quality irrigation water. Reliable monitoring of soil salinity based on a less laborious method than the soil saturated paste (SP) extract methodology is required. In the present study, an attempt is made to relate the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil saturated paste (SP) extract (ECe) with the EC determined in the 1:1 and 1:5 soil over water mass ratios, (soil:water) extracts (EC1:1 and EC1:5). ECe, EC1:1, and EC1:5 values were obtained for 198 soil samples from five different locations in Greece. The results have shown that strong linear relationships exist between the ECe and the EC1:1 and EC1:5 values (R2 > 0.93), and that the slopes of these linear relationships decreased from coarse to fine soil types. For 123 soil samples, the concentrations of Κ+, Νa+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl− were also determined in the extracts of the three applied methodologies. Ion concentrations in the 1:1 and 1:5 extracts were highly correlated with the respective ion concentrations in the SP extracts. These findings strongly suggest that EC1:1 and EC1:5 values can be safely used for the estimation of ECe.