The distribution characteristics of heavy metals in Guiyang urban soils

Guiyang is located in southwestern China, which is a famous tourism city, and is awarded the title of “the Summer Capital of China”. A study on heavy metals in Guiyang urban soils was conducted. The results showed that the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in Guiyang urban soils are significantly higher than their background values and Cu, Zn and Pb in Guiyang soils are accumulated seriously. The distribution characteristics of heavy metals in 3 districts are described as follows: the level of heavy metals in soils follows the order of Nanming District>Yunyan District>Xiaohe District. The spatial distribution of metals in urban soils of Guiyang shows that the level of metals in the central and eastern parts of Guiyang is relatively high, and its characteristics are attributed to the influence of commercial activities, heavy traffic and industrial emission. Compared with some other cities in China, Guiyang is characterized by relatively high accumulation level of Cd, Cu, and Zn in its soils.