Hypothesis as to why the acidity was higher in the low traffic area

            Magnesium is a component of milk of magnesia, often used medicinally to treat acid in the digestive system. Sodium chloride is often used in pools as a buffer. Both of these are present in Ottawa’s deicing salt and sand and could act as a buffer for the acidity in the snow. Especially since deicing salts and sands are used more often in high traffic areas. This could explain the why pH of the snow of Ottawa’s downtown is far more basic than that of the Greenbelt.