Environmental monitoring of Lake Baikal
Pollution of bottom sediments of Lake Baikal
The map contains data characterising the bottom sediments pollution at the testing sites of Roshydromet (Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Russia) on Lake Baikal in the area of influence of urban municipal wastewater of Baykalsk town, in the shallow waters of the Selenga River and in the zone of influence of the Baikal–Amur Mainline.
The map contains icons in the shape of upper and lower halves of circle in the area of testing sites. The colour of the top half of circle corresponds to the degree of bottom sediments pollution by benzo(a)pyrene (BP), while the lower half corresponds to accumulated polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
There are 4 categories of the pollution degree baseline (green), low polluted (blue), moderately polluted (yellow), highly polluted (red).
In the north of Baikal the semicircle colour corresponds to the pollution in the northwest area of the coastal margin, exposed to anthropogenic impact of the Baikal-Amur Mainline route, and in the shallow waters of Selenga river - to the site of the largest branch of Ust-Harauz.
If you hover over an icon, a window will appear with quantitative characteristics of the bottom sediment pollution of one of the three polygons, as well as the exposed area of Baikal-Amur Mainline and Ust-Harauz.
Hydro-chemical parameters of the lake bottom sediments, 2013 |
Baikalsk city sewage impact area |
Organic nitrogen | 0,14 % | PAH*) | 160,9 ng/g |
Organic carbon | 1,2 % | Carcinogens*) | 27,1 % of the total PAH |
Sulphide sulphur | 0,001 % | Dissolved oxygen | 10,9 mg/l |
Easily-hydrolysable carbohydrates (EHCH) | 0,56 % | Mineral nitrogen | 0,11 mg/l |
Hardly-hydrolysable carbohydrates (HHCH) | 0,35 % | Phosphate phosphorus | 0,004 mg/l |
Lignin-humus compound (LHC) | 0,75 % | Volatile organic acids | 1,5 mg/l |
HHCH + LHC / Total amount of organic substances | 24 % | Organic non-volatile acids | 1,5 mg/l |
Benz(a)pyrene*) | 10,3 ng/g | Volatile phenols | 0,001 mg/l |
*) not determined in 2013, the data are consistent with previous measurements (2012)
Hydro-chemical parameters of the lake bottom sediments, 2013 |
Selenga shallow waters
(in parentheses is the content on the site ducts Ust-Kharauz) |
Organic nitrogen | 0,13 % | HHCH + LHC / Total amount of organic substances | 27 % |
Organic carbon | 0,93 % | Benz(a)pyrene | 1,0 (1,0) ng/g |
Sulphide sulphur | 0,005 % | PAH | 33,4 (33,8) ng/g |
Easily-hydrolysable carbohydrates (EHCH) | 0,42% | Carcinogens | 25,1 (27,8) % of the total PAH |
Hardly-hydrolysable carbohydrates (HHCH) | 0,18 % | PCBs | 0,3 (1,2) ng/g |
Lignin-humus compound (LHC) | 0,86 % | | |
Hydro-chemical parameters of the lake bottom sediments, 2013 |
Northern Baikal (in parentheses is the content in the northwestern Part of the coastal strip exposed to the anthropogenic impact of the BAM route) |
Organic nitrogen | 0,23 (0,36) % | Lignin-humus compound (LHC) | 1,01 (1,38) % |
Organic carbon | 2,26 (3,40) % | HHCH + LHC / Total amount of organic substances | 34 % |
Sulphide sulphur | 0,006 (0,007) % | Benz(a)pyrene | 3,0 (5,4) ng/g |
Easily-hydrolysable carbohydrates (EHCH) | 0,86 (1,24)% | PAH | 81,1 (113,2) ng/g |
Hardly-hydrolysable carbohydrates (HHCH) | 0,67 (1,02) % | Carcinogens | 40,2 (61,9) % of the total PAH |
In 2013, there was no increase in controlled indicators for bottom sediments compared to previous years of monitoring.
There was used the data of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Hydrochemical Institute” of Roshydromet (Russian Meteorological Service), Rostov-on-Don; Federal State Budgetary Institution “Irkutsk Territorial Administration for Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring” of Roshydromet