Regional and Seasonal Variations and the Interrelationship of Chemical Properties in Soils and Deposited Dusts along Mountain and Urban Roadways

Abstract

Roadside soils and deposited dusts were collected along the roadways between Kamikochi, Chubu-Sangaku National Park and the central area of Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. Their redox potential (Eh), pH (KCl), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and organic carbon content were measured. As a result, regional and seasonal fluctuations were recognized in pH (KCl) and regional variation was observed in Eh. The regional pH (KCl) fluctuation can be considered to have an association with anthropogenic influences. It was suggested that pH (KCl) is the most fundamental factor of chemical condition in the soils and deposited dusts along roadways, from the interrelationships among pH (KCl), Eh, CEC and organic carbon content. Chemical condition is one of the key factors that controls harmful element behavior and involves in the pollution state. This study indicates a potential of mutually complementary manner in roadside pollution mechanism that both contamination substance emission and soil condition change bring an anthropogenic modification of the environment.