Abstract
Application of chemical road deicers has a negative impact on roadside vegetation. Every year, the trees in cities suffer from direct and indirect effects of salt application for winter road maintenance. To elucidate this problem in the city of Kielce, the chemistry of snow, soil, tree bark, and leaf samples has been investigated together with an assessment of the health status of the trees. Twelve investigation sites were selected along the roads with different traffic intensity. Snow samples were collected twice during the winter and analyzed for pH, EC, Na + , Ca2 + , Mg2 + , and Cl − . In soil (collected from two depth intervals), tree bark, and leaf samples, the concentrations of B, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, N, Na, P, S, and Zn were determined. The contents of total organic carbon (TOC) in soils, as well as the pH of soil and tree bark samples were also measured. Negative symptoms revealed by roadside trees included the loss of assimilative apparatus and decreased vitality. The results of chemical analyses indicated that the snowmelt might be a substantial source of chloride ions and alkalizing substances that influenced higher pH of soils. The soil samples displayed elevated concentrations of S and Zn and lower than typical for soil contents of B, Mg, and TOC. The pH of alkaline soils favored greater bioavailability of B and reduced bioavailability of Na and Zn by the trees examined.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adams, C. R., & Early, M. P. (2004). Principles of horticulture. Oxford: Elsevier.
Bäckström, M., Karlsson, S., Bäckman, L., Folkeson, L., & Lind, B. (2004). Mobilization of heavy metals by deicing salts in a roadside environment. Water Research, 38, 720–732. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2003.11.006.
Blomqvist, G., & Johansson, E. -L. (1999). Airborne spreading and deposition of de-icing salt – a case study. The Science of the Total Environment, 235, 161–168. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00209-0.
Borecki, T., & Keczyński, A. (1992). Atlas of the loss of assimilative apparatus (in Polish). Warsaw: Agencja ATUT.
Cekstere, G., Nikodemus, O., & Osvalde, A. (2008). Toxic impact of the de-icing material to street greenery in Riga, Latvia. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 7, 207–217. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2008.02.004.
Cunningham, M. A., Snyder, E., Yonkin, D., Ross, M., & Elsen, T. (2008). Accumulation of deicing salts in soils in an urban environment. Urban Ecosystem, 11, 17–31. doi:10.1007/s11252-007-0031-x.
Czerniewska-Kusza, I., Kusza, G., & Dużyński, M. (2004). Effect of deicing salts on urban soils and health status of roadside trees in the Opole region. Environmental Toxicology, 19(4), 296–301. doi:10.1002/tox.20037.
Dobbertin, M. (2005). Tree growth as indicator of tree vitality and of tree reaction to environmental stress: A review. European Journal of Forest Research, 124, 319–333. doi:10.1007/s10342-005-0085-3.
Fostad, O., & Pedersen, P. A. (2000). Container-grown tree seedling responses to sodium chloride applications in different substrates. Environmental Pollution, 109, 203–210. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00266-3.
Foth, H. D., & Ellis, B. G. (1996). Soil fertility, 2nd Edn. New York: Lewis.
Gałuszka, A. (2005). The chemistry of soils, rocks and plant bioindicators in three ecosystems of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 110, 55–70. doi:10.1007/s10661-005-6290-1.
Ganjyal, G., Fang, Q., & Hanna, M. A. (2007). Freezing points and small-scale deicing tests for salts of levulinic acid made from grain sorghum. Bioresource Technology, 98, 2814–2818. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2006.07.042.
Godwin, K. S., Hafner, S. D., & Buff, M. F. (2003). Long-term trends in sodium and chloride in the Mohawk River, New York: the effect of fifty years of road-salt application. Environmental Pollution, 124, 273–281. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00481-5.
Goodrich, B. A., Koski, R. D., & Jacobi, W. R. (2008). Roadside vegetation health condition and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) dust suppressant use in two Colorado, U.S. counties. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 34, 252–259.
Goodrich, B. A., Koski, R. D., & Jacobi, W. R. (2009). Condition of soils and vegetation along roads treated with magnesium chloride for dust suppression. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 198, 165–188. doi:10.1007/s11270-008-9835-4.
Green, S. M., Machin, R., & Cresser, M. S. (2008). Effect of long-term changes in soil chemistry induced by road salt applications on N transformations in roadside soils. Environmental Pollution, 152, 20–31. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2007.06.005.
Hellstén, P. P., Kivimäki, A.-L., Miettinen, I. T., Mäkinen, R. P., Salminen, J. M., & Nystén, T. H. (2005). Degradation of potassium formate in the unsaturated zone of a sandy aquifer. Journal of Environmental Quality, 34, 1665–1671. doi:10.2134/jeq2004.0323.
Howard, K. W. F., & Maier, H. (2007). Road de-icing salt as a potential constraint on urban growth in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 91, 146–170. doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2006.10.005.
Innes, J. L. (1993). Forest health: Its assessment and status. Wallingford: CAB International.
Judd, J. H. (1970). Lake stratification caused by runoff from street deicing. Water Research, 4, 521–532. doi:10.1016/0043-1354(70)90002-3.
Kabata-Pendias, A., & Pendias, H. (2001). Trace Elements in Soils and Plants. Boca Raton: CRC.
Kayama, M., Quoreshi, A. M., Kitaoka, S., Kitahashi, Y., Sakamoto, Y., Maruyama, Y., et al. (2003). Effects of deicing salt on the vitality and health of two spruce species, Picea abies Karst., and Picea glehnii Masters planted along roadsides in northern Japan. Environmental Pollution, 124, 127–137. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00415-3.
Kincaid, D. W., & Findlay, S. E. G. (2009). Sources of elevated chloride in local streams: groundwater and soils as a potential reservoirs. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 203, 335–342. doi:10.1007/s11270-009-0016-x.
Lima, J. L. F. C., Rangel, A. O. S. S., Renata, M., & Souto, S. (2000). Assay of plant tissues for elemental content by flow injection analysis. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 31(7), 1071–1109. doi:10.1080/00103620009370498.
Lorenz, M. (1995). International co-operative programme on assessment and monitoring of air pollution effects on forests. ICP Forests. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 85, 1221–1226. doi:10.1007/BF00477148.
McBean, E., & Al-Nassri, S. (1987). Migration pattern of de-icing salts from roads. Journal of Environmental Management, 25, 231–238.
Migaszewski, Z. M., Gałuszka, A., & Pasławski, P. (2004). Baseline element concentrations in soils and plant bioindicators of selected national parks of Poland. Geological Quarterly, 48(4), 383–394.
Norrström, A. C. (2005). Metal mobility by de-icing salt from an infiltration trench for highway runoff. Applied Geochemistry, 20, 1907–1919. doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2005.06.002.
Norrström, A. C., & Jacks, G. (1998). Concentration and fractionation of heavy metals in roadside soils receiving de-icing salts. The Science of the Total Environment, 218, 161–174. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(98)00203-4.
Novotny, V., Muehring, D., Zitomer, D. H., Smith, D. W., & Facey, R. (1998). Cyanide and metal pollution by urban snowmelt: impact of deicing compounds. Water Science Technology, 38(10), 223–230.
Novotny, E. V., Murphy, D., & Stefan, H. G. (2008). Increase of urban lake salinity by road deicing salt. Science of the Total Environment, 406, 131–144. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.07.037.
Porcelli, C. A., Gutierrez Boem, F. H., & Lavado, R. S. (1995). The K/Na and Ca/Na ratios and rape seed yield, under soil salinity or sodicity. Plant and Soil, 175, 251–255.
Ramakrishna, D. M., & Viraraghavan, T. (2005). Environmental impact of chemical deicers—a review. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 166, 49–63. doi:10.1007/s11270-005-8265-9.
Rasa, K., Peltovuori, T., & Hartikainen, H. (2006). Effects of de-icing chemicals sodium chloride and potassium formate on cadmium solubility in a coarse mineral soil. Science of the Total Environment, 366, 819–825. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.08.007.
Robidoux, P. Y., & Delisle, C. E. (2001). Ecotoxicological evaluation of three deicers (NaCl, NaFo, CMA) effects for terrestrial organisms. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 48(2), 128–139. doi:10.1006/eesa.2000.2035.
Rosenberry, D. O., Bukaveckas, P. A., Buso, D. C., Likens, G. E., Shapiro, A. M. & Winter, T. C. (1999). Movement of road salt to a small New Hampshire Lake. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 109, 179–206. doi:10.1023/A:1005041632056.
Sæbø, A., Benedikz, T., & Randrup, T. B. (2003). Selection of trees for urban forestry in the Nordic countries. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2, 101–114. doi:10.1078/1618-8667-00027.
Tan, K. H. (2005). Soil sampling, preparation, and analysis, 2nd Edn. New York: Taylor & Francis.
Thunqvist, E. -L. (2004). Regional increase of mean chloride concentration in water due to the application of deicing salt. Science of the Total Environment, 325, 29–37. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2003.11.020.
Trahan, N. A., & Peterson, C. M. (2007). Factors impacting the health of roadside vegetation. Colorado Department of Transportation Research Branch. Final Report No. CDOT-DTD-R-2005–12.
Trahan, N. A., & Peterson, C. M. (2008). Impacts of magnesium chloride-based deicers on roadside vegetation. Transportation Research Circular, E-C126, 171–186.
US EPA. (1971). Environmental Impact of Highway Deicing. New Jersey: Edison Water Quality Laboratory. Edison.
US EPA. (1996). SW-846, Method 3050, Acid digestion of sediments, sludges, and soils, revised December 1996. Washington DC: US EPA.
Viskari, E. -L., & Kärenlampi, L. (2000). Roadside Scots pine as an indicator of deicing salt use – a comparative study from two consecutive winters. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 122, 405–419. doi:10.1023/A:1005235422943.
Zehetner, F., Rosenfellner, U., Mentler, A., & Gerzabek, M. H. (2009). Distribution of road salt residues, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons across a highway-forest interface. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 198, 125–132. doi:10.1007/s11270-008-9831-8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
About this article
Cite this article
Gałuszka, A., Migaszewski, Z.M., Podlaski, R. et al. The influence of chloride deicers on mineral nutrition and the health status of roadside trees in the city of Kielce, Poland. Environ Monit Assess 176, 451–464 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1596-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1596-z