Soil sealing and soil properties related to sealing

Abstract

Sealing implies separation of soils from the atmosphere and above-ground biosphere by impermeable layers. Sealing has a strong impact on soils. The degree of sealing is related to the type of land use and to the population density. Sealed areas are still increasing, and it is often the most fertile soils which are sealed. The negative effects of sealing are partial or total loss of soils, e.g. for plant production and habitats, and an increase in floods, as well as an increase in health and social costs. On the other hand, sealed areas contribute hugely to the gross national product of a country. The most effective contributions for reducing soil sealing are expected to come from the engineering sciences. Other contributions could be made by the economic and social sciences. It is also important to address the problem at a political level, e.g. by passing an international convention to prevent soil consumption. Despite all these problems, soils can still exist underneath sealed areas. Their properties can be used to mitigate the negative effects of sealing.

Effect of soil sealing on the microbial biomass, N transformation and related enzyme activities at various depths of soils in urban area of Beijing, China

“…Most previous studies have focused on the effects of expanding sealed areas on heat island (Brundl and Hoppe 1984;Takebayashi and Moriyama 2007), water runoff (Baumhardt et al 1990;Bhaduri et al 2001;Peffy and Nawaz 2008), gas diffusion (Wiegand and Schott 1999;Smagin 2000;Kaye et al 2004) and biodiversity (Savard et al 2000;Pauchard et al 2006) in urban ecosystem, but the information about the quality of soils underneath the sealed areas, and the effects of soil sealing on biogeochemical cycling, in particular, nutrient cycle and biological component in urban areas is limited. However, soils underneath the sealed areas were still carrying out important functions, e.g., supporting the growth of roadside trees, allowed the infiltration of storm-water (Burghardt et al 2004;Burghardt 2006;Gundula et al 2011). Therefore, investigation and quantitative evaluation the properties and processes of the soils underneath the sealed areas is essential to soil protection, management and restoration (Karlen et al 2001;Karlen et al 2003;EC 2006).…”

The anthropogenic sealing of soils in urban areas

“…Contrary to natural sealing, artificial sealing is generally extensive and permanent, and entails a modification of the neighboring ecosystems (e.g., Burghardt, 2006). The significance of sealing must be extended to describe the covering of its surface by impervious materials such as, for example, concrete, metal, glass, tarmac and plastic.…”

The effects of urban impervious surfaces on eco-physiological characteristics of Ginkgo biloba: A case study from Beijing, China

“…The impervious surface is one of the primary changes imposed by human beings (Elvidge et al, 2007;Nowak and Greenfield, 2012). Driven by the increasing population and urbanization, natural lands have been transformed into anthropogenic impervious surfaces (Hartley et al, 2008), including roads, community squares, roofs (Razzaghmanesh et al, 2014), and parking lots (Burghardt, 2006;Xian et al, 2007). As a result, land without impervious cover is scarce in urban areas.…”