Abstract: Characteristics in the distribution of available cadmium in soil in kunshan City of Jiangsu Province was investigated in the present study. The content of available Cd in soil is relatively high, with the average being at 0.092 mg/kg and the maximum 0.354 mg/kg, and the available rate of soil Cd up to 53%. It is indicated that Cd is one of the main pollutants among heavy metals in soil in this area. The content of available Cd is significantly positively correlated with the content of total Cd in the upper layer soil, with the equation being at y=0.748 9x-0.029 8(r=0.886>r0.01=0.463, n=30).It is shown that the content of available Cd in soil is mainly affected by the total Cd in soil in this area. The available Cd and available rate of Cd are reltively high in areas with chemical factories, although the function of these areas may differ in economy, and these two parameters are high in the middle plain areas of different physiognomy in this city. The available rate of Cd is significantly higher in the middle plain area than in the north low area. Overall, in soil the available content and available rate of Cd is higher in the upper layer, indicating that the environmental risk of Cd exists mainly in the upper 20 cm layer of soil.

Key words: soil available cadmium, influencing factors, distributing characteristics, available rate of soil Cd, South Jiangsu Province