Environmental impacts on soils from transport systems in various cities in Lithuania

Abstract

The object of this research program is the environmental impact of the Transport system (motor and railway transport sectors) on soil. The main objectives of this program are investigations of the environmental impact of pollution caused by the transport sector in Lithuania, evaluation of environmental impact of transport sector on soil: simulation of pollutant dispersion bv computer programs, preparation of suggestions and recommendations for the reduction of impact on environment. The motor and railway transport sectors are the main sources of pollutants in Lithuania Therefore these two sectors are under the more detailed research than the other two - air and water transport sectors. The main goals of this program are the environmental impact of motor and railway transport sectors on soil (topsoil). The most important thing in this program is to set the sample net and to choose the right method of collecting the soil samples The whole territory of Lithuania was divided into the areas where the environmental impact of motor and railway transport sectors on soil is the most intensive. Some other areas were selected where the pollution impact is the lowest, for the purposes to compare polluted and not polluted areas For evaluation of pollution caused by the motor and railway transport, the soil samples were collected across the road or railway, and one profile of samples contained about 12-14 samples depending on the relief. One sample was composed of five sub-samples collected according to the "env elope" principle. After transportation of the topsoil samples to the laboratory the following analytical method was used AAS-ES Heavy metals (Zn, Co, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb) were analyzed for the purposes to evaluate the composition of contaminants in the topsoil.