Background: Sediment deposition in the urban environment affects aesthetic, economic, and other aspects of city life, and through re-suspension of dust, may pose serious risks to human health. Proper environmental management requires further understanding of natural and anthropogenic factors influencing the sedimentation processes in urbanized catchments. To fill the gaps in the knowledge about the relationship between the urban landscape and sedimentation, field landscape surveys were conducted in the residential areas of the Russian cities of Ekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, and Murmansk. Methods: In each city, six elementary urban residential landscapes were chosen in blocks of multi-story apartment buildings typical for Russian cities. The method of landscape survey involved delineating functional segments within the elementary landscapes and describing each segment according to the developed procedure during a field survey. Results: The complexity of sedimentation processes in the urban environment was demonstrated. The following main groups of factors have significant impacts on sediment formation and transport in residential areas in Russian cities: low adaptation of infrastructure to a high density of automobiles, poor municipal services, and bad urban environmental management in the course of construction and earthworks. Conclusion: A high sediment formation potential was found for a considerable portion of residential areas.

The formation of snow-dirt sludge (SDS) via the mixing of snow and surface-deposited sediment by vehicles and pedestrians is one of the least studied sedimentation processes in urban areas. The aim of this study was to analyse the material, mineral, particle size, and chemical compositions of the SDS solid phase. The study was conducted using Ekaterinburg, Russia, as an example city with an intense anthropogenic impact and a long cold snowy period. The average content of the SDS solid phase was approximately 35 g L⁻¹ of meltwater on heavy traffic roads, of which the dust fraction (<0.1 mm) accounted for 23 g L⁻¹. On driveways and lawns, the contents of the SDS solid phase were 12 and 6.6 g L⁻¹, respectively. The mineral composition of the SDS solid phase was generally similar to the geology of the surrounding area, which is composed of a mosaicked combination of felsic and mafic complexes. The presence of building material fragments and other anthropogenic particles confirms the significant anthropogenic impact. The chemical composition contained major and minor elements specific to the minerals and materials that constitute the SDS solid phase. There was significant variability in the concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Zn in the granulometric fractions, indicating pollution. Intensive melting of SDS with a high particulate matter (PM) content is an important factor influencing the environmental quality of the urban environment.

The aim of this paper is to present some results of a soil survey conducted at a northern city in Russia and analysis of origin of spots polluted by chromium. During the survey, 101 soil specimens were taken from different parts of the city using squared grid system with a spatial resolution of 250m. Two soil specimens were also taken from distant background locations to exclude the influence the pollutant sources. Chemical analysis was performed on soluble and total forms of heavy metals, mineral oil products, as well as other concentrations of parameters were measured. According to spatial distribution of total chromium concentrations, two spots with high level of pollution have been recognized. Mean concentration of total chromium in the spots subgroup is ten times higher than in the subgroup of comparison. It was suggested that the origin of anomalous pollution is not associated with the industrial activity and could not be explained by atmospheric deposition only