Effects of urbanization on Cd accumulation in agricultural soils: From the perspective of accessibility gradient

Abstract Road accessibility clearly reflects the spatial heterogeneity of urbanization. This study therefore adopted accessibility gradient to analyze the effects of urbanization on Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in agricultural soils. In total, 212 soil samples were collected along the accessibility gradient from agricultural soils in the Guangzhou–Foshan metropolitan region. Cd concentration showed a clearly decreasing pattern in agricultural soils with a decrease in accessibility level. The decreasing patterns varied in different accessibility ranges. The urban–rural ecotone (accessibility range 10–15) was the region with the most drastic changes in Cd accumulation. The influencing factors of Cd accumulation in agricultural soils mainly include industrial pollutants, agriculture chemicals, mining activities, domestic wastes, and soil properties. The importance of these factors varies across different accessibility ranges. Our findings imply that the characteristic variation of Cd accumulation with the road accessibility gradient must be considered in the formulation of targeted policies for controlling Cd contamination in agricultural soils.