The URGE II – Urban Topsoil Geochemical Mapping Manual

The EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group published “URGE II – Urban Topsoil Geochemical Mapping Manual”. The publication presents the agreed field protocol according to which all topsoil samples for the URGE II Project will be collected.

The Urban Geochemistry Project (URGE II) aims to provide harmonised geochemical data about the current state of the quality of urban and suburban surface soil in European Union countries for multipurpose use.

The results produced from such a survey should be of high quality and integrity, and to be legally defensible as they are very sensitive environmental health related data, because they inform us about the chemical state of our home, school, work and recreational environments, which affects our quality of life.

The other objective of the URGE II Project is to compare the geochemical results of the participating European cities. Such a comparison, can be made if all participating cities follow the same sampling, sample preparation, and laboratory analysis procedures. This protocol is presented in the Manual. Subsequently, the samples will be prepared in just one central laboratory, and all topsoil samples will be analysed for the same suite of determinands in the same laboratory following a strict quality control procedure.

The URGE II – Urban Topsoil Geochemical Mapping Manual is available for downloading at http://www.eurogeosurveys.org/about-us/our-products/ and on the International Year of Soils website http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/resources/non-fao-resources/en/?related=59163