A new study shows that humans are disrupting the world's natural salt cycle

ArabiaWeather - According to the conclusions of a new scientific study, led by Sujay Kaushal, professor of geology at the University of Maryland, the increasing demand for salt shows a negative impact on the environment and human health, as this study was published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment , and confirmed that human activities increase air pollution. Soil and contamination of drinking water with salts.

Although geological and hydrological processes contribute to the introduction of salts into the environment over time, human activities such as mining and land development significantly accelerate the natural “salt cycle.” In addition, industrial activities such as agriculture, construction, water treatment, and road construction contribute to increased Concentration of salts in the environment, which threatens biodiversity, and in some cases makes drinking water unsafe for consumption.

Sujay Kaushal , who holds a joint position at the University of Maryland's Interdisciplinary Center for Earth System Science, noted the importance of raising awareness about the impact of increased salt concentrations on the environment and public health and added:

“If we look at the planet as a living organism, the potential impact of salt accumulation on living organs and ecosystems must be taken into account. Removing salt from water is a costly and complex process, often producing derivatives with a higher salinity concentration than ocean water, making their removal difficult.”

Human impact on the environmental and health salt cycle

In a new study led by University of Maryland geology professor Sujay Kaushal and his colleagues, they describe these disturbances as an “anthropogenic salt cycle” and, for the first time, have shown the human influence on salt concentration and cycling on a global scale, and how these factors relate to our environment.

Gene Likens , co-author of the study and an ecologist at the University of Connecticut and the Cary Institute, noted evolving understanding of the issue, saying:

“Twenty years ago, we were relying only on specific case studies, and we only knew that the surface water was salty here and there, but now we are showing that it represents an interconnected cycle from the depths of the Earth to the atmosphere, which suffers the effects of human activities.”

The study reviewed a variety of salt ions found underground and in surface water, and the salts include compounds containing positively charged ions and negatively charged ions, the most important of which are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfate ions.

Kaushal and the research team revealed that human activities affect an area equivalent to 2.5 billion acres of soil around the world, and this area is equivalent to the size of the United States, and the levels of salt ions in streams and rivers have also increased over the past fifty years, accompanying the increase in the use and production of salts at the national and global levels.

The effects even extend to the air, where dry lakes in some areas can send plumes of salty dust into the atmosphere. Additionally, in areas exposed to snow, road salts trigger the formation of sodium and chloride particles in the air.

The problem of salinization is linked to other “cascading” effects, where salt ions bind to pollutants in soil and sediments, creating a “chemical” mixture that can cause harmful effects on the environment.

Kaushal suggested that policies be taken to reduce the use of road salts or encourage alternatives in order to prevent their continued negative impact on the environment and public health . Kaushal said:

“We face two challenges. The first is the immediate risk of salt buildup in the short term, which is very serious and needs to be seriously thought about, but there is also a long-term challenge related to health problems associated with large amounts of salt in our water.” He added: "The challenge is to find the right balance between these two risks."

In urging these challenges to be addressed, the study's authors called for the establishment of "planetary limits for the safe and sustainable use of salt," in a manner similar to efforts to determine and monitor carbon dioxide levels to limit climate change. However, Kaushal noted that this task will be a major challenge given the complexity of the study. The case Kaushal explained:

"This is a very complex issue because salt is not considered a major pollutant of drinking water in the United States, and therefore would be very difficult to regulate. But do we think it is increasing in the environment at levels that could be harmful? Yes, that is what we are seeing on the ground."

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Sources:

phys.org