Abstract
Increased use of salting to de-ice roadways, especially in urban areas, is leading to elevated salinity levels in soil as well as surface- and ground water. This salt pollution may cause long-term ecological changes to soil and aquatic microbial communities. In this study, we examined the impact on microbial communities in soils exposed to urban road salt runoff using both culturing and 16S amplicon sequencing. Both methods showed an increase in halophilic Bacteria and Archaea in samples from road salt-exposed areas and suggested that halophiles are becoming persistent members of microbial communities in urban, road salt-impacted soils. Since salt is a pollutant that can accumulate in soils over time, it is critical to begin assessing its impact on the environment immediately. Toward this goal, we have developed a facile semi-quantitative assay utilizing halophilic microbes as biomarkers to evaluate on-going salt pollution of soils.
Highlights
Salt pollution is a long-term environmental concern, potentially threatening soil, lake, and stream ecosystems, and groundwater supplies, as well as coastal regions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
We address whether any halophilic microorganisms are becoming either seasonal or persistent members of proximal microbial communities and if their presence may be used as indicator and biomarkers for salt pollution
Our data show that seasonal exposure to road salt leads to an increased presence of halophilic microorganisms, even months after road salt exposure
Summary
Salt pollution is a long-term environmental concern, potentially threatening soil, lake, and stream ecosystems, and groundwater supplies, as well as coastal regions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Even as the frequency of snow storms and total accumulation have diminished due to climate change, larger and more intense winter precipitation events are leading to increased demand for application of road salt. Global climatic trends are predicted to further increase these extreme events, including record-breaking storms [10,11,12]. This trend will likely continue, especially in north-central USA, where climate change models predict an increase in the intensity of snowfall and ice storm events [12].
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