Search

The results of a hydrochemical analysis of the consequences of an accidental fuel release in the Norilsk–Pyasino water system are presented. The pollution of watercourses in the catchment of Lake Pyasino (a nameless (Nadezhdinsky) creek, the Daldykan River, and the Ambarnaya River) with oil products, phenols, easily oxidizable and hard to oxidize organic matter (COD, PO, and BOD5), suspended solids, inorganic salts, and heavy metals at concentrations exceeding the background levels and MPC for fishery water bodies, as well as a temperature rise in waters of the nameless creek near Norilsk Heat and Power Plant 3 (CHPP-3), have been revealed. The contamination of the surface water decreases downstream in ascending order: nameless creek–Daldykan River–Ambarnaya River. The occurrence of oil products, phenols, and organic substances in the surface waters 2 months after the fuel spill is obviously due to their diffusion from the river bottom sediments, which accumulated a considerable quantity of heavy fractions of diesel fuel after the accident. Increased concentrations of Ca, Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, and Ni in the waters of the studied tributaries of Lake Pyasino are not directly related to the accident; they result from the general technogenic pollution of the territory and the increased geochemical background for these elements. Water contamination with oil products and phenols in the studied areas of Lake Pyasino (its central and northern parts) and the Pyasino River has not been detected. However, Pb concentrations exceed the MPC and Cd is recorded in the water, which is probably due to pollutants that accumulated in previous years.

An assessment of the species composition, abundance, biomass, and pigment characteristics of phytoperiphyton and phytoplankton of Lake Pyasino, its tributaries (Bezymyannyi Stream, Daldykan, Ambarnaya, and Norilskaya rivers), and the head of the Pyasina River has been carried out after a manmade accident (a diesel-fuel spill near the city of Norilsk in May 2020). A significant decline in the biomass and changes in the species composition of phytoperiphyton after the water was contaminated by fuel is revealed only near the spillage site (in the Daldykan River and the Ambarnaya River downstream the mouth of the Daldykan). Downstream, in the Ambarnaya mouth zone, as a response to the release of a large amount of nutrients during the decomposition of fuel products and dead organisms, as well as the mechanical cleaning of the bank line, there has been a massive growth of diatom and green algae (Tabularia tabulata, Spirogyra sp.) in the water column and the appearance of indicators of organic pollution (Euglenophyceae and Cryptophyceae). No significant changes in the plankton of Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River in comparison with the data obtained in the second half of the 20th century (i.e., long before the accident) are found. Species composition and quantitative features, as well as amount and ratio of pigments, characterized the phytoplankton and phytoperiphyton of Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River as a normally functioning freshwater community of oligotrophic waters. All this indicates the absence of a negative impact of the accidental fuel spill on the ecosystem of Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River.

Mollusks from the Viviparidae family are one of the invertebrates that actively settle outside their natural habitats. Alien representatives of this family dwell in the waters of North and South America, Europe, and Asia. This paper presents the results of long-term studies of Viviparus viviparus L. unintentionally introduced into the Novosibirsk Reservoir. The effect of types and concentrations of organic substances on the spatial distribution of V. viviparus in the reservoir has been studied. It is found that the formation of denser mollusks settlements (when compared to the natural areal) occurred in the Novosibirsk Reservoir due to its favorable environmental conditions. The Harmonia+ Protocol was used to assess the risk of V. viviparus invasion into water bodies of the Ob River basin, as well as the invasion consequences for its aquatic ecosystems. It is shown that water bodies of the Middle Ob basin are suitable for V. viviparus; the risk of further mollusk spread is estimated as high.

The article assesses ecological status of the Lake Manzherok (Republic of Altay Mayminsk Rayon) by its hydro/biological and sanitary/micro/biological characteristics after completion of dredging works. To estimate the bio/ceonosis dynamics we used the archive data of 2007–2015 and references. The aquatic communities demonstrated low indicators of development, phytoplankton – 26 taxons, abundance did not exceed 1.3·103 thousand cells/m3, biomass did not exceed 64.0·10-3 mg/m3. In water we found the sapropel vegetative pigments with the chlorophyll a of 237 mg/m3. We identified 16 species of zooplankton with 3. 5 –18.2 t housa nd pieces/m3 abu nda nce w it h 23.4 –97. 3 mg/m3 biomass. In comparison with 2015 the filtering zooplankton organisms’ abundance and biomass were 10–15 times lower. In contrast with 14–15 species in previous years we identified 5 species of macrophytes. The benthos abundance was not more than 1.48 thousand pieces/m2, the biomass did not exceed 1.56 g/m2, that is lower than in 2007. Such low indicators of the aquatic communities’ development with high concentration of organic matter argue the temporal state of anthropogenic metabolic regress. The Lake Manzherok water quality by its sanitary/micro/biological characteristics did not agree with the requirements to recreational water bodies. The whole content of coliform bacteria in the off-shore zone 25 times exceeded the norm, while the content of thermo/tolerant coliform bacteria in the center of the lake and in the macrophytes tangle 2.3 times exceeded the norm.

Elodea canadensis was found in July 2016 in the Ust-Tarksky district of Novosibirsk Region. In July 2016 and in July–August 2018, it was found in three bays of the Novosibirsk Reservoir: Ordynsky, Sharapsky, and Karakansky. In the Sharapsky Bay, elodea (Canadian waterweed) formed thickets of about 34 000 m2 in area, which were characterized by high productivity with a maximum aboveground phytomass ranging from 417 to 1352 g/m2 of absolute dry weight. The records appear to be the first confirmed data for Novosibirsk Region, because all earlier mentions are the result of an erroneous definition, or do not have any documentary evidence, or were cited from earlier publications. The reasons for the fact that E. canadensis has just begun its expansion on the territory of Novosibirsk Region with a significant area of 177 800 km2, while in many regions of Siberia it manifests itself as an active invasive species, are discussed. It was concluded that the leading factors limiting the distribution of E. canadensis in Novosibirsk Region include the composition and degree of mineralization of natural waters and a high representation of the local species Hydrilla verticillata in the water bodies, which are potentially suitable for the growth of elodea.

Seasonal and interannual dynamics of phytoplankton content (chlorophyll a), organic matter, and nutrients, as well as water temperature and water transparency, have been analyzed for the weekly observations performed in the Ob River from February to November, 2012–2015. The period of intensive phytoplankton growth (>10 mg/m3 Chl. a) lasts 70–90 days at a long spring flood in average and high-water years; in the absence of flooding during a dry year it exceeds 110 days. Seasonal phytoplankton dynamics is characterized by two summer maxima in July–August and in September (Chl. a content ~25 mg/m3); during a dry year, there is also a peak in June (up to 37.3 mg/m3). Seasonal dynamics of Chl. a in summer–autumn low water is closely related to the water temperature; in high water and autumn low water it is closely related to water transparency; in summer it is closely related to BOD5; and, in the summer–autumn period, it is closely related with nitrate content. According to the annual average (5.7–11.1 mg/m3) and maximum (19.2–35.0 mg/m3) concentrations of chlorophyll a, the trophic status of the river corresponds to mesotrophic–eutrophic water and the water quality corresponds to the second class, i.e., “clean water.”

Results of the comprehensive water/resources and ecological researchers of the OB-Irtysh basin current state are given. Assessment of the many-year dynamics of the main indicators characterizing the Ob River ecological status has been made. The data are quoted on the basis of the analysis of materials of many-year hydrological, hydro/chemical, ecological and water/economic researchers of Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch Institute of Water and Ecological Problems. The main problems of water supply and water use special for this basin have been revealed: non-uniformity of water resources distribution, hazardous hydrological phenomena (inundation, flooding, and channel processes), as well as water pollution (of human and natural origin). The situation is aggravated by the Ob-Irtysh basin transboundary status. The anthropogenic transformation of the region has been estimated: its index is the highest in the steppe and Southern forest/steppe areas of the Ob-Urtysh basin, while it is much lower in the Northern part of the basin; in mountain areas of Altay, Salair and Kuznetsk Alatau anthropogenic transformation is not high, and in the regions of Transuralia and Kuznetsk depression the territories of environmental problems have been identified. Non-synchronism of water content changes many-year trends for different parts of the basin has been revealed. Over the past decades volumes of water use and water disposal somewhat decreased in respect of the whole basin. Bearing in mind the level of groundwater and surface water resources availability, 15% of the total population of the Ob-Irtysh basin live in the conditions of extremely low and very low potential water supply. New data obtained as a result of comprehensive expedition water/ecological researches in 2016 with the use of research fleet are quoted.

Last decades, cyanobacterial blooms have been commonly reported in Russia. Among the boom-forming species, potential toxin producers have been identified. The aim of this paper was to study the presence of neurotoxic compounds - saxitoxins and anatoxin-a - in water bodies from different regions of Russia. We also made attempts to identify the neurotoxin-producing genera. The good convergence of the results obtained by light microscopy, PCR and LC-MS/MS analyses indicated the presence of active neurotoxin producing species in all investigated water bodies. Saxitoxin was detected in phytoplankton from 4 water bodies in Central European Russia and West Siberia, including lake and reservoirs used as a source for potable water. The water bodies differed with the respect of saxitoxin producers which belonged to Aphanizomenon and/or Dolichospermum genera. For the first time, we obtained quantitative data on the intracellular saxitoxin concentration in Russian freshwaters using LC-MS/MS. Anatoxin-a was detected only in lakes of Northwestern Russia. In the eutrophic shallow Lower Suzdal Lake, Aphanizomenon was the stated anatoxin-a-producing genus. In the large shallow artificial hypertrophic Sestroretskij Razliv Lake, it was very likely that both dominant species - Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Dolichospermum planctonicum - were anatoxin-a producers.

The composition, biomass and pigments of the phytoplankton population below the ice cover in Lake Teletskoye were investigated in March 2006. It was found that the composition and biomass of phytoplankton below the ice remained the same throughout the year. Furthermore, the stability of the water column was more important for the development of the phytoplankton assemblage below the ice than was the water temperature and light intensity. Small flagellates and diatoms were abundant among the algae in the upper layers of the lake's water column. Lake Teletskoye is similar in its phytoplankton composition and algal distribution throughout the water column to large, deep temperate lakes and Arctic or Antarctic lakes covered temporally or perennially by ice.