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Criteria and methods to assess the ecological status of soils in relation to the landscaping of urban territories

  • Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils
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Abstract

The ecological status and functioning of soils in urban ecosystems are considered. A series of criteria and simple methods of their determination are suggested to assess soil suitability for landscaping purposes. Their practical application is shown by the example of the ecological assessment and monitoring survey of different urban territories in the southwestern, western, and northwestern administrative districts of Moscow and in Moscow suburbs. It is shown that the main damage to the soils of actively used territories in Moscow is due to the artificial salinization induced by the application of deicing substances and fertilizers. The second factor of soil degradation is the soil compaction. An unfavorable water and air regime (a deficit or excess of soil moisture) is a factor that manifests itself sporadically in time (during the extremely dry years) and in space (at the sites with an increased soil compaction and soil water evaporation). A considerable decrease in the potential biological activity of urban soils, including the soils of newly built residential areas, in comparison with their natural analogues attests to the disturbance of their functioning under the impact of chemical pollution and an unfavorable physical status.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119899, Russia

    A. V. Smagin & A. L. Stepanov

  2. Institute of Forestry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Uspenskoe, Odintsovskii district, Moscow oblast, 143030, Russia

    N. A. Azovtseva & M. V. Smagina

  3. Research and Project Institute of Urban Ecology, 2-ya Brestskaya ul. 8, Moscow, 127045, Russia

    A. V. Smagin, A. L. Stepanov, A. D. Myagkova & A. S. Kurbatova

Authors
  1. A. V. Smagin
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  2. N. A. Azovtseva
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  3. M. V. Smagina
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  4. A. L. Stepanov
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  5. A. D. Myagkova
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  6. A. S. Kurbatova
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Additional information

Original Russian Text © A.V. Smagin, N.A. Azovtseva, M.V. Smagina, A.L. Stepanov, A.D. Myagkova, A.S. Kurbatova, 2006, published in Pochvovedenie, 2006, No. 5, pp. 603–615.

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Smagin, A.V., Azovtseva, N.A., Smagina, M.V. et al. Criteria and methods to assess the ecological status of soils in relation to the landscaping of urban territories. Eurasian Soil Sc. 39, 539–551 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229306050115

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229306050115

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