Toxicological state and chemical properties of soils in urbanized ecosystems of Murmansk

• Main Authors: Polyakov, Vyacheslav, Petrova, Alina, Kozlov, Alexander, Abakumov, Evgeny
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Masaryk Univerzity 2018
• Subjects: Arctic landscapes; urbanization; soils; anthropogenic impact; ecosystems; Arctic; Murmansk
• Online Access: http://journals.muni.cz/CPR/article/view/12930

Nowadays, active urbanization directly affects to the transformation of natural ecosystems in all natural zones of Russian Federation. First of all, soils of the cities are exposed to undergoing to intensive transformation. With this transformation, natural soils change to urban and “urbo-natural soils”. Arctic ecosystems are most susceptible to anthropogenic influence because they have a low regeneration and restoration ability. Urban soils demonstrate numerous and various processes of transformation and migration of substances, which are the most important links in the biogeochemical cycles, linking the various structural components of ecosystems and the biosphere as a whole. In this context the processes of soils transformation under the influence of the urbanization has been considered. Soils of residential, recreational (park), industrial and non-developed urban zones were studied on example of Murmansk city as one on the northernmost city in European part of Russia. Microbiological activities, toxicological state (heavy metals, Zc), and content of carbon in soils were revealed.