Urban snow indicates pollution originating from road traffic.
Traffic is a major source of pollutants in cities. In this well-replicated study we analysed a broad array of contaminants in snowpacks along roads of different traffic intensities. The majority of pollutants showed a similar pattern with respect to traffic intensity: pH and conductivity as well as concentrations of PAHs, total suspended solids, phosphorus and most heavy metals were higher next to high intensity roads compared to low intensity roads. These pollutant levels also decreased considerably up to 5 m distance from the roads. Furthermore, apart from nitrogen, these variables increased in concentration from control sites in urban forest patches to road bank sites next to roads of low, intermediate and high traffic intensities. The deposition pattern of various traffic-derived pollutants--whether gaseous or particle-bound--was the same. Such information can be useful for the purposes of managing pollutants in urban areas.
['Kuoppamäki|Kirsi|K|', 'Setälä|Heikki|H|', 'Rantalainen|Anna-Lea|AL|', 'Kotze|D Johan|DJ|']
D000393:Air Pollutants D000397:Air Pollution D002947:Cities D004784:Environmental Monitoring D019216:Metals, Heavy D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons D012914:Snow
Urban Snow Traffic PAH Phosphorus Metals Nitrogen