Trace metals in Northern New England streams: Evaluating the role of road salt across broad spatial scales with synoptic snapshots.

ABSTRACT: Mobilization of trace metals from soils to surface waters can impact both human and ecosystem health. This study resamples a water sample archive to explore the spatial pattern of streamwater total concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc and their associations with biogeochemical controls in northern New England. Road deicing appears to result in elevated trace metal concentrations, as trace metal concentrations are strongly related to sodium concentrations and are most elevated when the sodium: chloride ratio is near 1.0 (~halite). Our results are consistent with previous laboratory and field studies that indicate cation exchange as a metal mobilization mechanism when road salt is applied to soils containing metals. This study also documents associations among sodium, c

SUBMITTER: Wilhelm JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6373959 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature