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The effects of soil pollution

1. Salinity, inadequate pH (alkalization or acidification), accompanied by leaching into the profile of nutrients, especially potassium.

2. Deterioration of the soil structure – soil drying or silting.

3. Decreased soil fertility as a result of changes in its physical, chemical and microbiological properties.

4. Negative effect of soil pollution on the development of plants and organisms at higher levels of the trophic chain (animals and humans).

Destruction of soils causing deterioration of their value in use and reduction of production capacities is called soil degradationsoil degradationsoil degradation. The processes that occur in the soil deteriorate its physical properties (destruction of the structure), chemical properties (acidification, salinization or poisoning with heavy metals) and biological properties (decreased humus quantity and quality, reduced number of live organisms). As a consequence, the natural fertility of the soil decreases.

Soil degradation is caused primarily by humans, but also natural factors such as soil erosion, climate change (drought), natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes).

Soil erosion – displacement, sorting and deposition of soil particles in other areas caused by leaching the surface soil layer by rainwater or river water (water erosion) or blowing – wind erosion.

Erosion can also be caused by human activity, for example by improperly carried out drainage, cutting down and burning forests and meadows, too intensive grazing. If the soil in a given area completely loses its utility values, it is called soil devastation.

Soil devastationsoil devastationSoil devastation is very often an irreversible process, which is accompanied by a powerful transformation and devastation of the area, for example, through the construction of houses, laying asphalt, pavements and open‑cast mines, which are an example of human activity completely destroying some elements of the environment.

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Ilustracja przedstawia tereny wulkaniczne w Islandii. Na pierwszym planie znajduje się krater, w którym widoczna jest sucha gleba. Wokół krateru widać turystów. Nieopodal krateru znajduje się zbiornik wodny, zaś okalające go tereny są lekko ośnieżone.

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Ilustracja przedstawia teren pustyni, z widoczną charakterystyczną roślinnością. Przedstawiona roślinność pustynna to głównie zielono-listne niskie krzewy.

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Ilustracja przedstawia pokopalniane hałdy w Wałbrzychu, powstałe najprawdopodobniej w sąsiedztwie kopalni. Widoczne zwały skał płonnych otoczone są zielenią i wzgórzami.

The methods to counteract soil damage

The main activities undertaken to protect soils include:

1. Proper agricultural economy using mainly natural fertilizers, rational use of chemical fertilizers and plant protection products.

2. Prevention of erosion – land drainage, mid‑field afforestation, fallow land afforestation.

3. Prevention of soil pollution from municipal sources – waste reduction and proper management (waste segregation, composting, hazardous waste collection) and sewage treatment.

4. Limitation of the industrial sources of soil pollution – use of modern environmentally friendly technologies and proper post‑production waste management.

5. Soil cleaning from toxic substances and deacidification of acidified soils.

In order to reclaim the polluted soils, complex, multistep activities are undertaken to restore their utility value – soil remediationsoil remediationsoil remediation. It takes many years to re‑create the soil layer in such areas. Unfortunately, some chemical pollutants may persist in the soil even for centuries and no treatments can change this. Therefore, to accelerate the process of removal of toxic substances from soil and their remediation, the polluted soil is mixed with the clean soil.

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Exercise 1

Which of these areas require remediation? 1. Paved road, 2. Sand mine, 3. Eroded rock formations, 4. Wheat field

Which of these areas require remediation? 1. Paved road, 2. Sand mine, 3. Eroded rock formations, 4. Wheat field

Mark the photos presenting the areas requiring remediation:

• Road
• Mine
• Working
• Field

Summary

• Prevention of soil degradation consists in counteracting soil erosion, limiting the extraction of minerals and taking over land for development, reducing degradation and restoring the soil's utility values. To this end, treatments are carried out enriching soil with humus, restoring the proper pH (liming), limiting the impact of sources of soil pollution (e.g. protecting landfills against their penetration by polluting substances, rational use of fertilizers and pesticides, creating green zones that separate crops from roads).

Keywords

soil devastation, soil degradation, soil remediation

Glossary