An attempt to identify traffic related elements in snow
Journal Title: Geology, Geophysics & Environment - Year 2013, Vol 39, Issue 4
Abstract
The main objective of this article is an attempt to use snow as an indicator in the process of assessing and identifying vehicle-derived elements pollution. The aim of the present study is to characterize traffic-related elements in snow collected from three sites: a parking place, a highway and a relatively unpolluted airfield. Several recent studies suggest that road traffic is considered to be one of the major sources of environmental pollution in urban areas. In order to avoid the problem of low emission from household furnaces, samples were collected far away from residential buildings. Snow located near roads with heavy traffic seems to be a very useful tool and indicator of traffic-related elements released into the environment. Snow acts as a natural filter for various chemical elements and particles. Snow is an efficient scavenger of aerosol and air pollutants, usually remains on the ground for sampling after the event; moreover, snowmelt contaminates soil. In the present study filtered (0.45 um) samples of melted snow were analyzed with ICP-MS. The results show significantly higher concentrations of elements in snow collected at the parking lot and at the highway when compared to samples taken from a relatively unpolluted airfield. Research on exploitation dust (break, tire, clutch) was performed with SEM-EDS.
Authors and Affiliations
E. Adamiec, R. Wieszała, M. Strzebońska
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP167112
- DOI 10.7494/geol.2013.39.4.317
- Views 57
- Downloads 0
Assessment of the quantitative and chemical groundwater status of the Łukowica river catchment area
The main objective of this thesis is the assessment of the quantitative and chemical groundwater and surface water status of the Łukowica river catchment area. This area is located within the Magura Nappe of Outer Carpat...
Selected effects of VTI anisotropy on downhole microseismic data
Shale gas is one of the well-known unconventional resources of natural gas all over the world. This term refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Shales are fine – grained sedimentary rocks which ca...
Layering of façades. A few comments on the colour of Krakow's façades in earlier and contemporary times
Witnesses to a bygone age, façades are evidence of past life. Interpretation of traces, and particularly colours, aids to recognize old tastes and moods. This paper reviews ornamentation methods used for the outerwalls o...
Molybdates and tungstates sorption on organo-smectites as a process controlled by the type and amount of surfactant
Modification of a smectite with organic surfactants leads to the formation of an organo-mineral complex characterized by a positive charged (Bajda et al, 2015). The process involves the exchange of naturally occurring ca...
The Late Quaternary vegetational and environmental history of western tropical Africa: the eastern Benin Basin, Lagos, Nigeria
A palynological study of a 30 m borehole within the Akoka campus of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria revealed Late Quaternary paleo-vegetational, climatic and environmental changes. Sixteen samples at a regular in...