Data from: Trace element accumulation in woody plants of the Guadiamar Valley, SW Spain: a large-scale phytomanagement case study

Phytomanagement employs vegetation and soil amendments to reduce the
environmental risk posed by contaminated sites. We investigated the
distribution of trace elements in soils and woody plants from a large
phytomanaged site, the Guadiamar Valley (SW Spain), 7 years after a mine
spill, which contaminated the area in 1998. At spill-affected sites,
topsoils (0-25 cm) had elevated concentrations of As (129 mg kg(-1)), Bi
(1.64 mg kg(-1)), Cd (1.44 mg kg(-1)), Cu (115 mg kg(-1)), Pb (210 mg
kg(-1)), Sb (13.8 mg kg(-1)), Tl (1.17 mg kg(-1)) and Zn (457 mg kg(-1)).
Trace element concentrations in the studied species were, on average,
within the normal ranges for higher plants. An exception was white poplar
(Populus alba), which accumulated Cd and Zn in leaves up to 3 and 410 mg
kg(-1) respectively. We discuss the results with regard to the
phytomanagement of trace element contaminated sites.