Dataset: Heavy Metal and Fluoride Accumulation in Desert Shrubs and Soil Following the 2017 Ashalim Phosphogypsum Spill (Negev Desert, Israel)

This dataset contains soil and plant chemistry measurements collected in the Ashalim Stream, Negev Desert, Israel, following the June 2017 phosphogypsum wastewater spill. The dataset includes cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), strontium (Sr), and fluoride (F) concentrations measured in leaves and associated soils of Atriplex halimus, Anabasis articulata, and Retama raetam from polluted and control sites within sand and alluvial habitats between 2019 and 2021. Additional data include photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, pheophytin a, and carotenoids) and derived bioconcentration factors (BCF). The dataset was generated to assess the long-term environmental fate of contaminants and plant bioaccumulation dynamics two to five years after the spill. Data support the manuscript: "Heavy Metal and Fluoride Accumulation in Desert Shrubs and Soil Following an Industrial Wastewater Spill: A Multi-Year Assessment in the Ashalim Stream, Negev Desert, Israel." Units: * Cd, Cr, Sr: mg kg⁻¹ dry weight * Fluoride: g kg⁻¹ dry weight * Pigments: µg mg⁻¹ Location: Ashalim Stream Nature Reserve, Negev Desert, Israel.