DISRUPTION OF ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF SOILS AS A RESULT OF ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECTS

Abstract

The modern era is also characterized by the presence of global problems, which require special attention to land.  Thus, a number of current environmental problems, such as global climate change, ozone layer depletion, chemical pollution of the atmosphere, desertification, even local radioactive pollution, biodiversity loss, surface water pollution, etc. Some of them were formed due to the direct or indirect disruption of soil functions as a result of anthropogenic effects [and today the ones listed are no longer a problem to be solved by a single country, that is, they are of a global nature. Its prevention is one of the issues that humanity will solve together today.

As a result of anthropogenic effects, urbanization can be mentioned as a form of manifestation of the disturbance of the ecological functions of the land. Thus, urbanization is a global process that results in the change of both physico-chemical and biological components of the soil and is expanding, intensifying.

 First of all, it should be noted that the increasing urbanization results in the observation of at least certain differences in the ecological functions performed by soils in the urban environment and outside this environment.   Although the soils formed within the boundaries of the urboecosystem also play a role as a natural soil cover as the main environment-creative component and realize the biogeochemical cycle of substances, ensure the transformation of surface water into groundwater, etc.

Increasing urbanization leads to the use of larger areas for this purpose. This, naturally, both activates and expands the intervention of modern, or rather, intelligent man in the environment, as a result of which irreversible situations occur in the environment.

Sometimes the soil cover itself can become a source of pollution, especially in urboecosystems. Thus, in megacities and large industrial centers, most of the land surface, sometimes up to 90%, is covered with asphalt-concrete pavement, residential buildings, industrial complexes, etc. under it. As a result, a significant part of the polluted sediments bypasses the soil body and enters water bodies and river networks through sewage.  This allows us to note once again that urbanization should be noted as a factor that causes the deterioration of land-specific functions, primarily ecological ones.