Assessing the Geo-Environmental Risks of Technogenic Pollution of Agricultural Soils

Abstract

Environmental problems are the result of the disturbance of the natural balance through a combination of processes in the environment and their irreversible consequences. The latter causes specific environmental problems. This is particularly true for countries with limited land, water and plant resources. Factors such as soil fertility and protection against adverse effects, inactivating and demobilising chemical pollutants that penetrate the soil, etc. must be managed to ensure a stable ecosystem. Climatic factors (ambient temperature, rainfall, wind rose, etc.) also contribute to wasteful human activities. All these factors lead to soil degradation and desertification in the territory of the Republic. There are different forms of these phenomena. The extent and irreversible consequences of heavy metal contamination of biota are well documented. However, all discussions are reduced to quantitative comparisons of heavy metal concentrations in the environment with accepted maximum permissible concentrations, without focusing on the nature of what is happening. In this article, approaches with consideration of geoecological coefficients for assessment of multi-component impact of anthropogenic pollution on arable soils of the Republic of Armenia are considered. The anthropogenic zone of the city of Hrazdan and the surrounding arable soils are considered as an example of the approach to the estimation of the degree of environmental pollution. It contributes to the differentiation of abiotic and anthropogenic factors of heavy metal pollution in environmental studies. It helps to differentiate between the abiotic and the anthropogenic sources of heavy metals in studying them. This approach makes it possible to set limits on the use of natural resources. It also contributes to the development of environmental protection measures aimed at the safety of the biota as a whole.