Assessment of the effect of aerial transport of salts on solonetzic process in the Black Sea region

The aerial deposition of salts is often considered as one of the sources of soil salinity; the amount and composition of the salts deposited from the air are studied. In this paper, the potential contribution of aerial salts to the development of the solonetzic process in the soils of the Black Sea region is analyzed. The wet and dry (with dust) depositions are considered separately. To reveal their influence on the potential development of the solonetzic process, special calculations with the use of cation exchange equations have been performed. It is shown that solutions of salts deposited from the air can lead to a very weak development of the solonetzic process. Their amount is only sufficient to ensure the exchangeable sodium percentage in soils from 0. ⁿ to 2–4% of the exchange capacity.