Heavy metals transport pathways: The importance of atmospheric pollution contributing to stormwater pollution.

Pollution has become a serious issue in the urban water environment as stormwater runoff transports a range of pollutants to receiving water bodies, undermining water quality and posing human and ecosystem health risks. Commonly, the primary focus of stormwater quality research is on the role of pollutants directly accumulating at the ground phase. However, atmospheric phase can also exert a significant impact on stormwater quality through atmospheric deposition.

Taxonomy of factors which influence heavy metal build-up on urban road surfaces.

Heavy metals build-up on urban road surfaces is a complex process and influenced by a diverse range of factors. Although numerous research studies have been conducted in the area of heavy metals build-up, limited research has been undertaken to rank these factors in terms of their influence on the build-up process. This results in limitations in the identification of the most critical factor/s for accurately estimating heavy metal loads and for designing effective stormwater treatment measures.

Mathematical relationships for metal build-up on urban road surfaces based on traffic and land use characteristics.

The study investigated the influence of traffic and land use parameters on metal build-up on urban road surfaces. Mathematical relationships were developed to predict metals originating from fuel combustion and vehicle wear. The analysis undertaken found that nickel and chromium originate from exhaust emissions, lead, copper and zinc from vehicle wear, cadmium from both exhaust and wear and manganese from geogenic sources.

Characterisation of atmospheric deposited particles during a dust storm in urban areas of Eastern Australia.

The characteristics of dust particles deposited during the 2009 dust storm in the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions of Australia are discussed in this paper. The study outcomes provide important knowledge in relation to the potential impacts of dust storm related pollution on ecosystem health in the context that the frequency of dust storms is predicted to increase due to anthropogenic desert surface modifications and climate change impacts. The investigated dust storm contributed a large fraction of fine particles to the environment with an increased amount of total suspended solids, compared to dry deposition under ambient conditions.