What happens to the salt cycle?

Although geological and hydrological processes naturally bring salt to the Earth’s surface over time, we are accelerating this natural flow through mining, land development, and the use of road salt to melt ice. Researchers from the University of Maryland, University of Connecticut, Virginia Institute of Technology and other institutions combined their expertise to document what they call an “existential threat” to freshwater supplies.

The team examined various types of salt (not just the sodium chloride we use in cooking) in different environments, including their concentrations in rivers and soil. They now say that some events, such as the drying of lakes, increase the salt concentration in the air.

Twenty years ago we had only isolated studies. Here we can say that the surface water in New York or the drinking water in Baltimore is salty. We now show that this cycle from the Earth’s depths to the atmosphere has been significantly disrupted by human activities.
– says ecologist Gene Likens from the University of Connecticut.

Scientists have found that approximately 2.5 billion acres of land worldwide are affected by anthropogenic salinization. Additionally, the salt used to sprinkle on the roads mixes with the air. Increasing salinity of freshwater resources is a major concern. If this trend continues, finding enough water to drink could become a real challenge; not to mention the damage caused to animals and their habitats.

“If you imagine the planet as a living organism, the accumulation of such large amounts of salt can affect the functioning of vital organs or ecosystems.”– says geologist Sujay Kaushal from the University of Maryland. Salt levels affect more aspects of life than we realize, from how much snow forms on mountain peaks to our likelihood of contracting respiratory diseases.

Researchers call for more efforts to assess and reduce human impact on the salt cycle, suggesting a starting point should be the 44 billion pounds of salt distributed on U.S. roads each year.