Anthropogenically modified natural background and its formation in the Russian freshwater ecosystems

Abstract

Results of generalized long-term data of hydrochemical monitoring of pollution of freshwater ecosystems in the most developed economic regions of Russia are presented. The factors responsible for the anthropogenically modified natural background of priority pollutants are described in detail and the most polluted water objects are evaluated.The environmental equilibrium of natural complexes of each region is the upper limit in economic development of Russia. The limit of this excess should be prevented by all accessible measures on the nature use control.The main component of the program on the nature protection activity should be objective criteria of rational use of nature. The observance of these criteria will provide the preservation of the environmentforming and reproducing functions of natural territorial complexes and their individual components (air, water, land, flora, and fauna). The environment quality should be considered as one of the highest priorities of progress. Therefore, the environment quality parameters should be precise and specific. The development of unified criteria of natural objects and distinct limits, which take into account the intrasystem reserve of permissible anthropogenic impacts, will make it possible to develop the national economy with a minimum risk of irreversible ecological damage to the environment quality.According to long-term regime observations within the State Service of Observations and Monitoring of the Natural Environment State (SOS), there is an extremely heavy ecological and sanitary situation in many developed economic regions of Russia [10][11][12]. Water ecosystems in these regions are under increased ecological stress with a high recurrence rate of cases of high (HP) and extremely high (EHP) levels of water pollution.The analysis of the long-term regime hydrochemical SOS information on the most polluted Russian water objects demonstrated that most water ecosystems are subject to multi-factor pollution [1-5]. The modern environmental state of the Russian water objects is influenced by natural, anthropogenic, and intrasystem factors. The variability of the water runoff and silts, ice, thermal and river-bed regimes, volume and composition of the atmospheric precipitation, and solar radiation is a decisive natural factor.The main anthropogenic factor is the physical impact in the form of the hydropower plant river runoff control, thermal impacts, activities connected with the navigation improvement, quarry developments, and coastal hydro-technical constructions, as well as pollution with chemical compounds from waste water discharges and emissions into the atmosphere of substances that pollute drainage systems and are washed out from the land surface.The oxidation-reduction (redox) and production-destruction processes, including pollution transformation, are the main intrasystem factors. The role of these factors is determined by regional features of natural conditions and the forms of the economic activity. Nevertheless, the decisive impact factors are the inflo...

Assessment of hydrobiocenosis state over sections of the Kola North water bodies heavily polluted with copper and nickel compounds

“…-a constant but a little less high level of the nickel content in the Hauki-Lampi-Yoki (MFO = 13-25 MPC) and Luottn-Yoki (MFO = 8-12 MPC); -a constant, not exceeding 5 MPC level of the nickel content in the Pechenga River; -an episodic (1)(2)(3)(4) level of the nickel content in the Patso-Yoki River. A stable and very high level of pollution with copper compounds is characteristic of the mouth section of the Nyuduai River (MFO = 50-100 MPC).…”

“…The analysis of results of long-term observations over the water courses in different Russian regions results in the formation of a new "anthropogenically changed" environmental state, when the trophic status changes and the ecological capacity and, consequently, water ecosystem stability much decrease [3,4].…”

Influx of dissolved chemical substances to the Ob-Taz estuarine area

“…The results of the analysis of the long-term regime information in this area showed that phenols (112 MPC), petroleum hydrocarbons (41 MPC), iron (31 MPC), copper (25 MPC), and manganese (24 MPC) compounds, whose concentrations were often above 10 MPC, should be referred to priority pollutants. RUSSIAN The upper boundaries of the anthropogenically modified background formed [4] exceeded the MPC of petroleum hydrocarbons and iron and copper compounds by 13-15 times, of ammonium nitrogen, phenols, and manganese compounds, by 5-6 times. It is reasonable to expect that heavy loading impact of river ecosystems persisted over the entire water area of the Ob and Taz estuarine area.…”

Status Quo of Soil Contamination with Inorganic and Organic Pollutants of the River Oka Floodplains (Russia)

“…The Volga delta was found to be less contaminated than the Rhine and Danube deltas, possibly because potential pollutants were still trapped in upstream river sediments and floodplains (Winkels et al 1998). A few recent publications reported that the surface water in the Volga catchment area, especially in the River Oka region, was contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants (Nikarnorov et al 2007; Moiseenko et al 2008). In the Ivankovo reservoir, located in the Volga River valley, heavy metals were accumulated in the upper humus horizon of the sediment and flooded riverside soils (Titaeva et al 2007).…”

“…The discharge of untreated or partly treated wastewater as well as the runoff from land surface results in contaminations of rivers and their floodplains with heavy metals and/or persistent organic pollutants (POPs; Baborowski et al 2004;Antić et al 2006;van der Veen et al 2006;Nikarnorov et al 2007; Moiseenko et al 2008). In river water, the majority of the pollutants is associated with suspended particulate matter (Morales et al 2007;Pepelnik et al 2005), which can be aggregated to freshwater flocs (Droppo et al 1997).…”