Assessment of the aerogenic impact of the Norilsk industrial complex on the natural environment using epigeal lichens

Relevance. The need to study the features of aerogenic effects of the Norilsk industrial complex on the natural environment. Aim. To study the features of the aerogenic effects of the Norilsk industrial complex in the south-southwest zone at a distance of 40–60 km using lichens Cladonia rungeferina and Cetraria sp. Objects. Soil, lichens Cladonia rungeferina and Cetraria sp. Methods. Soil and lichen samples were taken 40–60 km south-southwest of the Norilsk Industrial district. Sampling was carried out according to the scheme of two profiles with a length of 14 and 20 km. The samples were analyzed using a set of methods consisting of X-ray fluorescence (S4 Pioneer Bruker AXS), atomic absorption methods (KVANT-2A, Julia-5K) and induction-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ELEMENT-2) in the laboratory of the GIN RAS, Moscow. The concentration of Ti, V, Ni, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Cd, Sb, Ba, La was determined. Results. The authors have obtained the data on the concentration of the 21 elements in soils and lichens. The paper demonstrates the calculation of distribution of elements in soil and lichens relative to the concentration in the upper part of the continental crust. The authors calculated the enrichment factor EF for Mn, Ni, Cu, Hg, Pb and estimated the distribution of this coefficient for both profiles. It is shown that the technogenic component of the aerogenic effect for Mn, Ni, Cu, Pb to the south-southwest of the Norilsk industrial complex at a distance of 40–60 km is practically absent. The increased values of the enrichment factor EF in lichens for Hg are explained by a combination of two factors – the constant presence of mercury in significant concentrations in ecosystems and tundra fires that took place in this zone in 2019–2020, which ultimately led to the re-deposition of Hg in the burnt areas.