Environmental monitoring of Lake Baikal

Ingress of chemicals into Lake Baikal from the atmosphere as a part of fall-out and dry precipitation in 2014

Observations were carried out at five stations (stationary): Baikalsk, Khamar-Daban (southern coast of the lake), Angara Source, Bolshoye Goloustnoye (west coast of the southern part of Lake Baikal) and Khuzhir (Olkhon island, middle Baikal).

If the cursor hovers over the station location, a pop-up window will appear on the map with the average annual values of the drops (in tonnes per sq. km per annum) for the selected observation station in 2014.

In general, in 2014, the deterioration in the generalized indicator of the input of controlled substances was registered at 4 stations. A slight decrease in this indicator was noted at the Baykalsk station, however, the input of organic substances increased.

Compared to 2013, in 2014, an increase in pollution of atmospheric inputs was observed at the Bolshoye Goloustnoye and Angara Source stations.

At the same time, in comparison with 2013, a decrease in the level of pollution was observed at the Baykalsk station – the total amount of controlled substances dropped by 11%. At the Khamar-Daban and Khuzhir stations, the pollution of precipitation did not change significantly compared to the previous period.

Having estimated the amount of atmosphere substance inputs to the Lake Baikal area in 2013, we can conclude that the anthropogenic impact on the environment remains noticeable.