"Nature's Superheroes: How Native Plants are Saving the Day Against Road Salt Pollution"

Nature's Superheroes: How Native Plants are Saving the Day Against Road Salt Pollution [SWOP NEWS]

The Effects of Road Salt on our Freshwater Systems:

Our frosty winter months may look picturesque, but sadly, the de-icing road salts used can cause salt pollution, with potentially detrimental consequences to our freshwater ecosystems and urban green spaces. Megan Rippy, an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, embarked on a one-year research journey to evaluate the impact of road salts on plants creating a home in stormwater detention basins and investigate if certain plant species could be the detox characters in this story.

When Salt Plays Spoilsport:

Emphasizing the key role of plants in controlling green infrastructure performance, Rippy stated that only a mere 1 percent of plant types, known as halophytes, can stomach highly saline conditions. Hence, the risk salts pose to green infrastructure and the potential of salt-tolerant species to counteract this threat needs to be assessed.

The research - funded by the National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research program - focused on the influence of road salts on plants, soil, and water quality. The findings suggested that salt levels in green infrastructure systems were dangerously high and that halophytes did not assimilate sufficient salts to effectively counter the issue.

Plants v/s Salt Levels:

Rippy's research involved studying 14 stormwater basins across Northern Virginia, measuring salt levels in water, soil, and plant tissues over four seasons. The study identified some native plant species, notably cattails, which seemed to tolerate high salt concentrations surprisingly well. But hold your applause just yet - while these plants displayed an impressive salt tolerance, they still couldn't solve the salinity problem alone. In reality, even a basin full of cattails could only remove a tiny fraction of the road salt applied in winter.

Climate Change to the Rescue?:

Interestingly, as global warming renders winters in transitional climate zones milder with more rainfall than snow, salt application on roads might decrease, hinting at a silver lining. However, in regions with persistent snow cover, differing challenges like delayed de-icer wash-off and plant emergence might arise.

Integration is Our Salvation:

Rippy's study provides valuable insights into the delicate dance between plants, salt pollution, and green infrastructure. While it's clear that plants alone can't fight off our salt pollution problem, they certainly can play a critical role in integrated management strategies. By coming up with efficient stormwater systems to manage runoff and reduce salt pollution, we might not just make our cities greener, but more resilient too.




We hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to leave a comment below if you want to engage in the discussion.

If you want to read more like this, make sure to check out our Blog and follow us on Instagram. If you are interested in truly sustainable products, check out our Shop.


Check out the original source here.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.