The article analyzes the chemical composition (ions, elements, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) of the atmospheric aerosol in the near-water layer of the atmosphere above Lake Baikal during wildfires in Siberia. Aerosol deposition affects the aquatic environment of the watershed basin and the lake itself. The current law on Lake Baikal limits the activity of the permanent stationary anthropogenic sources of the aerosol in the central ecological zone, and they do not have a significant negative impact. Wildfires can have a much greater impact on the environment. Smoke emissions entering the area of Lake Baikal due to wildfires change the chemical properties of the atmospheric aerosol and increase its mass and number concentration. The concentrations of NH4+, K+, NO3−, and SO42−, which enter with submicron aerosol fraction, increase in the ionic composition of the aerosol. The composition of polyaromatic compounds changes, and their concentrations increase. Elevated concentrations of B, Mn, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, and Pb in the composition of aerosol indicate the influx of air masses from the areas prone to wildfires. Despite the sporadic effects of these natural factors, they affect the pollution of various Baikal ecosystems, especially small tributaries of the lake, whose main supply is atmospheric.
In this paper, we present the results of complex experimental studies of gas admixtures and the vertical structure of aerosol in the atmosphere over Lake Baikal in September 2021, performed onboard research vessel (RV)
Akademik V.A. Koptyug
. Measurements of gas admixtures in the near-water atmospheric layer were carried out using local control means, i.e., chemiluminescent gas analyzers. The aerosol fields were sensed using a multifrequency polarization aerosol-Raman lidar LOSA-A2. Compared to previous expeditions, in 2021, we recorded the low concentrations of gas admixtures and aerosols, close to the background ones. The analysis showed that the main contributions to the atmospheric pollution were from local sources located near the coastal zone of the lake.
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