Soil organic matter composition of man‐impacted urban sites in North Germany

Human activity in the environment has great impact on soil ecology. However recent knowledge on properties of anthropogenic soils is still scarce. For this reason the purpose of this paper is to deliver data on the soil organic matter (SOM) properties of urban soils with an example from the city of Rostock (Northeast Germany) and to describe the environmental consequences of severe anthopogenic actvity. The results suggest that SOM of urban settings is significantly different in their chemical nature of humic compounds and their coal contents. The lower content of alkyl C and the simultaneously higher contents of aromatic C moieties in urban soils compared to their natural counterparts suggest a substantially different biochemical behavior against environmental hazardous compounds and microbial activity. This knowledge is essential for a qualitative assessment of important biochemical mechanisms in urban soils.