Seasonal Variation of Soil Salinization from Suburban to Urban Areas in London, Canada, due to Road Salt Application
Minseo Park
A. B. Lucas Secondary School, London, Canada
Publication date: November 20, 2025
A. B. Lucas Secondary School, London, Canada
Publication date: November 20, 2025
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/JIYRC2025II11
ABSTRACT
This study investigates soil salinization in relation to the degree of the road salt application in London, Canada. The experiment was conducted to determine the extent of the soil salinization from A.B. Lucas Secondary School (here after, ABL) to London City Hall (here after, LCH). The soil samples for the experiment were collected every kilometre stop, and they were dug from 8 spots beside the road 50 cm apart and 10 cm deep. The experiment occurred in 2023 March, 2023 July, and 2024 March. The salinity, electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS), and acidity were tested on the collected soil samples. The salinity at LCH was higher than at ABL in winter, because more road salts were used to prevent vehicular skidding in traffic dense areas. The unusually high peak of the salinity in the 2023 winter was 751 ppm at 4 km due to the bridge leading to higher concentration of salt. In comparison of seasons, the soil samples in winter resulted in higher levels of salinity compared to the samples in summer due to the absence of road salt. EC and TDS showed the result that is similar with salinity due to the characteristic that is dependent on the salinity. Conversely, soil samples in summer were slightly more acidic than in winter, likely due to higher temperature. The result can be seen as a temporary phenomenon occurring only in winter. Although the soil samples in summer resulted in lower salinity, there is a high possibility of the soil in summer being salinized if the soil samples were collected below 10 cm in depth or the groundwater was tested. Therefore, road salt should be replaced with alternatives such as sand to decrease the level of the soil salinization. The study on the soil below 10 cm in depth along with the long-term study on groundwater needs to be conducted for a better result.
This study investigates soil salinization in relation to the degree of the road salt application in London, Canada. The experiment was conducted to determine the extent of the soil salinization from A.B. Lucas Secondary School (here after, ABL) to London City Hall (here after, LCH). The soil samples for the experiment were collected every kilometre stop, and they were dug from 8 spots beside the road 50 cm apart and 10 cm deep. The experiment occurred in 2023 March, 2023 July, and 2024 March. The salinity, electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS), and acidity were tested on the collected soil samples. The salinity at LCH was higher than at ABL in winter, because more road salts were used to prevent vehicular skidding in traffic dense areas. The unusually high peak of the salinity in the 2023 winter was 751 ppm at 4 km due to the bridge leading to higher concentration of salt. In comparison of seasons, the soil samples in winter resulted in higher levels of salinity compared to the samples in summer due to the absence of road salt. EC and TDS showed the result that is similar with salinity due to the characteristic that is dependent on the salinity. Conversely, soil samples in summer were slightly more acidic than in winter, likely due to higher temperature. The result can be seen as a temporary phenomenon occurring only in winter. Although the soil samples in summer resulted in lower salinity, there is a high possibility of the soil in summer being salinized if the soil samples were collected below 10 cm in depth or the groundwater was tested. Therefore, road salt should be replaced with alternatives such as sand to decrease the level of the soil salinization. The study on the soil below 10 cm in depth along with the long-term study on groundwater needs to be conducted for a better result.
