Dissertation Research: The Spatial Dynamics of Lead Levels in Urban Soil and Correlations with Land Cover

铅污染城市环境并不是一个新现象。大量的研究集中在含铅涂料对健康的影响上。然而，人们对土壤污染的潜在问题关注较少。生态学家可以通过使用景观生态学的工具来预测城市住宅土壤中铅的位置和含量，从而帮助理解这个问题。这项研究将探讨在城市环境中发现的某些特征（树木、草坪、建筑物和道路）是否可以用来预测土壤中的铅浓度。这项研究将使用一种允许快速评估土壤中铅浓度的方法，利用从城市住宅院子收集的信息生成一个预测铅空间分布的模型。这项研究将有助于城市生态学领域的发展，通过推进我们的知识，跨越属性和社区的斑块如何影响城市系统中关键污染物的分布。此外，本研究将检验土地覆被作为预测生态变量的适宜性。通过各种非营利组织传播这项研究的结果，将使城市居民更好地了解一种重要的环境污染物的分布，从而受益。虽然这项研究创建的模型将严重依赖于从马里兰州巴尔的摩收集的数据，但这项研究将有助于了解其他城市地区的土壤铅污染。公共卫生界可以利用该模型产生的信息来简化目前的铅修复工作。

Lead contamination of the urban environment is not a new phenomenon. A great deal of research has focused on the health effects of lead-based paint. Less attention, however, has been given to the potential problem of contaminated soils. Ecologists can help understand this problem by using the tools of landscape ecology to predict where and how much lead remains in urban residential soil. This research will address whether certain features found in the urban environment (trees, lawns, buildings, and roads) can be used to predict lead concentrations in soil. Using a method that allows for rapid assessment of lead concentrations in soil, this research will use information gathered from urban residential yards to generate a model that will predict the spatial distribution of lead. This research will contribute to the growing field of urban ecology by advancing our knowledge of how patchiness across properties and neighborhoods affects the distribution of a critical pollutant in urban systems. In addition, this research will test the suitability of land cover as a predictive ecological variable. Communicating results of this research through various non-profit organizations will benefit city residents through an improved understanding of the distribution of an important environmental contaminant. Although the model created by this research will rely heavily on data collected from Baltimore, Maryland, this research will contribute to the understanding of soil lead contamination in other urban areas. The public health community can use information generated by this model to streamline current lead remediation efforts.