Abstract
The objective of this paper was to study pollution in the semi-urban area of Truskavets (Ukraine) using low-cost and energy-efficient magnetic measurements. Soil magnetic properties were measured near a railway station (transect) and near a road (transect and grid). To compare the magnetic properties of the soils from the urban areas, we sampled in a forest area located 2–3 km from Truskavets. Additionally, ten dust samples were taken 150 cm above the ground from the smooth surface of the tree bark. Near the Stebnyk Ring (the end of the second transect), we established a grid (20 × 20 m) and measured the soil magnetic susceptibility MS (mass-specific χ, and volume κ). There were taken 55 soil samples within the upper 0–5 cm of the topsoil. The results showed that low-frequency MS of the natural soil was within the range of 8–10 × 10–8 m3/kg, a low value for the Ukraine soils. The urban soils collected near the roadway and the railway had high MS values. Soil pollution was confirmed by the frequency dependence of magnetic susceptibility: χfd = 2–3%. Our results, based on the thermomagnetic, hysteresis, isothermal (IRM), and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) measurements, suggested that magnetite is responsible for the increase in the magnetic signal of the urban soils. Natural soils normally contain a single domain (SD) grains. It has also been found that the high coercivity haematite and goethite are stable pedogenic minerals in the Truskavets natural soil. Overall, the magnetic measurements have proven to be a rapid, low cost, non-destructive and efficient technique for soil monitoring and air quality assessment.