Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Weatherholt Senior Honors Thesis.pdf (1.99 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Road Salt Runoff into Freshwater Wetlands: Trends in Specific Conductance and Ion Concentration

Weatherholt, Riley Madison
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7248-0347
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1557152479759316

Abstract Details

2019, BS, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Biological Sciences.
Road salts, brines, and other de-icers are used to melt snow and ice on roads and sidewalks. The runoff resulting from this process is high in salt ions such as sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These ions end up in our waterways, and contribute to the problem of increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, two constructed freshwater wetlands near Kent State University were monitored for one year by measuring specific conductance with in situ conductivity sensors and concentrations of road salt ions in surface water with IC and ICP-OES. This data set allowed us to assess seasonal and temporal trends in road salt runoff, as well as possible mechanisms of salt storage and cycling within the wetlands. We found that the wetlands were a considerable sink for road salt ions over the course of the year. Moreover, the degree to which each wetland retained the ions was not the same. The wetland with continuous flow and comparatively less storage space retained less of the ions than the intermittently flowing, deeper wetland. Additionally, we found that there are cation dynamics in which road salt-derived sodium exchanges with cations sorbed to soils, causing a net release of calcium and magnesium from one of the wetlands. The notable imbalance in the salt budget of these wetlands, despite their differences in flow regime, is symptomatic of unsustainable road salt practices in these and similar watersheds. Should this pattern continue, there could reach a point where the wetlands could no longer store the influx of salt ions each year, resulting in a large release of saline water into downstream freshwater ecosystems. These findings can be used to inform management decisions not only in Kent, Ohio, but also in any city to better balance ecosystem function with public safety.
Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Ph.D. (Advisor)
David Costello, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Michael Tubergen, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Alison Smith, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
65 p.
Aquatic Sciences; Biogeochemistry; Biology; Chemistry; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Freshwater Ecology; Geochemistry
Road Salt; Wetlands; Runoff; Biogeochemistry; Ecosystem Ecology; Freshwater Salinization Syndrome; Conductivity; Specific Conductance; Cation Exchange; Chloride; Sodium; Calcium; Magnesium; Potassium; NaCl; CaCl2

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Weatherholt, R. M. (2019). Road Salt Runoff into Freshwater Wetlands: Trends in Specific Conductance and Ion Concentration [Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1557152479759316

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Weatherholt, Riley. Road Salt Runoff into Freshwater Wetlands: Trends in Specific Conductance and Ion Concentration. 2019. Kent State University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1557152479759316.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Weatherholt, Riley. "Road Salt Runoff into Freshwater Wetlands: Trends in Specific Conductance and Ion Concentration." Undergraduate thesis, Kent State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1557152479759316

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ksuhonors1557152479759316
368
© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University Honors College and OhioLINK.