Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, February 2016, Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 245 - 254 ASSESSMENT OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC IMPACT ON ACCUMULATION OF SELECTED ELEMENTS IN SOILS DEVELOPED ON KRYNICA AND BYSTRICA SUBUNIT (MAGURA NAPPE, POLISH OUTER CARPATHIANS) Alicja KICIŃSKA AGH – University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection, Department of Environment Protection, Mickiewicza Av. 30, 30–345 Cracow, [email protected] Abstract: The investigations aimed at assessing an impact of road traffic on the presence and the variability of Zn, Pb, Cr, As, Ti and Ni in soils of a protected area, i.e., the Poprad Landscape Park (Magura Nappe, Outher Carpathian). Soils collected represented three sets: basic samples, control samples and samples expected to be under the highest anthropopression. The assessment was based on determinations of the pH and the genetic type of soils, their total contents of the metals mentioned, and the forms in which cations are bound in the soils. Statistic parameters of these data (coefficients of variability and accumulation) formed the basis to identify the areas of the highest and lowest impact of road traffic on soils. The soils most affected are located in the 5-m wide belt next to the road margin. They reveal a significant change of soil pH and an increase of concentration of metals, mainly of Cd, Pb and Zn, in comparison to the geochemical background determined for the study area. Also the fraction of metals bound in the easily soluble forms is significantly higher in the soils adjacent to the road than that in the soils of the control set (samples of the lowest contamination); it is particularly expressed for Zn, Pb and Cd. Keywords: landscape park, Magura Nappe, soils, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd, As, Ti, Ni, road traffic. 1. INTRODUCTION protected areas is difficult considering the differences in their national classifications. Using The areas under legal protection require a definitions of protected areas of various ranks (Ia-b– meticulous, continuous monitoring because of their VI) established by the International Union for special character (natural and cultural values) (Blake Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a protected area & Goulding, 2002; Huber et al., 2008; Kibblewhite being in the Polish legal system a landscape park, et al., 2008). Natural resources, particularly those of which – as such – fulfils criteria of the Ib, III, V and the animate nature, may deteriorate as a result of VI IUCN categories, has been selected. It is the area wrong management and, in extreme cases, may whose geological structure, natural reserves of the become significantly impoverished (Abrahams, plant and animal kingdoms, and cultural values are 2002; Jarup, 2003). The areas and sites with the much diversified. It is also characterized by highest protection status, particularly those considerable problems in conducting effective policy important due to UE or international regulations, are of environment protecting; it’s enforcing, and usually administered by dedicated agencies, which implementing the principles of the sustainable conduct a whole range of statutory actions aimed at development. Within landscape parks even industrial proper securing and functioning of protected economy can coexist with sites being under strict ecosystems. The situation is slightly different in the protection, e.g., nature reserves and monuments, or case of large-surface areas, whose natural rank is the Nature 2000 areas (Nelson et al., 1993). The lower in comparison with national parks, nature landscape parks are normal, inhabited, rural and/or reserves, or Man & Biosfere reserves. suburban and/or urban areas, intersected by a Comparing in the world scale the value of network of roads along which motor vehicles 245 transporting people, animals and goods move their nature is marked by the occurrence of 14 nature (Adriano et al., 1997; Kicińska-Świderska et al., reserves, 75 monuments of the animate nature and 2005; Massas et al., 2013; Modrzejewska & 26 monuments of the inanimate nature, including 12 Wyszkowski, 2014). These vehicles emit various legally protected springs of mineral waters. substances (e.g., As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Ti, Zn) Balneological resources are widespread within the polluting the soil-plant environment, and in a area and they have formed the bases of many tourist consequence decreasing the overall environment centers and also five, renowned in Europe health quality, while in extreme cases excluding from the resorts being the statutory spas (Fig. 1). agricultural use the land zones adjacent directly to An annual number of visitors are impressive: the roads (Haiyan & Stuanes, 2003; Imperato et al., it exceeds 270,000, they spent there 1.5 mln person- 2003; Lin & Yu, 2008; Balaban et al., 2011; Zhang nights (GUS, 2012). Specialized leisure time et al., 2012). The metals accumulating in soils may activities include mountain tourism, cycling, alpine penetrate the plant cover in substantial amounts, in or cross-country skiing, some people also come for this way introducing contaminants into the trophic health reasons. chain (Jarup, 2003; Kabata-Pendias & Mukherjee, The study area has the highest biocenter rank 2007; Grobelak et al., 2013). in the ECONET-POLAND classification (European ECOlogical NETwork), it is a nature core area with 2. STUDY AREA an international significance and occupies around 550 km2. The area is intersected by a network of An assessment of the road traffic impact on national and local roads, whose density in 2010 was soils located in closer and distant neighborhoods of 0.32 km/km2; the length of district roads in 2010 transportation tracts was carried out in the Sądecki was 2.45 km per 1000 inhabitants (GUS, 2012). The Beskid Mts, which belong to the arc of the Outer number of residents is around 240,000, out of which Carpathians (Flysch Carpathians) and are almost as a 48% live in towns and the remaining 52% in the whole protected as the Poprad Landscape Park and a countryside. The average population density is 130 2 Natura 2000 area (Kicińska, 2012a). The wealth of persons per 1 km (GUS, 2012). Figure 1. Location of the sampling sites 246 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS collected in each forth site (Fig. 1, sampling sites numbered 2, 6, 10, 14, 17, 21, 25, 30, 34, 38 and 43) The soils of the Sądecki Beskid Mts have and in further processing treated according to the been developed as a result of combined processes same chemical procedures (decomposition and that took place on a rocky bedrock composed of assays) as the samples of the basic set. Evaluations flysch strata (Kicińska, 2012a). The surface soil of the statistical variability and of the precision of samples represent a depth layer of 0-20 cm and were analysing and sampling were carried out with the collected as channel samples according to the variance analysis ANOVA, which determines the standards PN-ISO 11074-1:2001P and PN-ISO impact of individual factors on a variability 11074-2:2001P. The investigations were carried out development (Ramsey, 1992; Yay et al., 2008). The along three selected roads spanning major urban, geochemical and technical variances (the latter being tourist and spa centers. In order to establish the a total of the analytical variance and sampling variability of metal distribution in soils and the variance) were calculated with the ROBOCOOP3 impact of road traffic on the soils, three different software (at the amount of replicate samples not sample sets were collected: a) Basic Set (BS); it lower than 11). The Statistica10 software was used represents the soils from the whole study area, to calculate correlation coefficients. affected by road traffic of various intensity; b) Near- In order to determine the dependence between Road Set (NRS), the set of 30 samples (n=30) the variability of concentration of selected elements collected along a road with intensive traffic; the and the distance from the road edge, in six sites of samples were taken at each 1 m along the road the BS (Fig. 1, sampling sites numbered: 2, 15, 16, margin. This set represents soils affected by fuel 28, 29 and 45) the samples were collected in the combustion and resulting gas emissions along a distances 0.5, 5.0 and 50 m from the road edge; they short, 30-m long road section; c) Control Set (CS) of were named distant samples. 30 samples (n=30), composed of soil samples not Chemical determinations were conducted being under traffic pressure (not any road close to using a sequential extraction as it makes possible the the sampling site) and collected in the nods of a 1x1 identification of binding forms of metals in soils m grid. This set is characteristic of an area with and, thus, of a potential threat to the environment. lowest anthropopression, and the impact of road The forms of binding control the mobility of an traffic is close to nil. element, its bioavailability and possible ecosystem The basic set BS is composed of the soil hazards (Tokalioglu et al., 2003; Viard et al., 2004; material collected in 45 sites approximately 5 km Noori et al., 2010; Van Beek et al., 2010). distant from each other and distributed along major The soil samples were dried at a temperature road tracts with a total length of 156 km (Fig. 1, of 105oC and decomposed according to the EPA- samples numbered 1-45); the samples were taken at 3051 standard (65% HNO3 + 30% H2O2) in three 0.5 m outside the road edge. These major road tracts pressure ranges (90, 100, 110 psi) in a microwave were divided into three sections, designated T1, T2 oven. The sequential extracting was carried out in and T3. four stages using the BCR procedure (Quevauviller The section T1 (53 km long) is a fragment of et al., 1998), i.e., applying a sequence of the the national road no.