Valkova S.A. Selected aspects of the current state of freshwater resources in the Murmansk Region, Russia. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A. 2017, V. 52, No 9, p. 921-929.

Downloaded by [Professor Vladimir Dauvalter] at 05:55 30 August 2017 JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH, PART A 923 shortfalls in the system of ecological education. There is an urgent need to establish an information-providing system and to attract the youth and the entire public to the management of water resources. Unfortunately, these factors are typical of developing economies, which do not consider the consequences of water degradation.[12] Consequences o f degradation o f freshwater ecosystems Aquatic ecosystems are the most vulnerable components of the natural environment in the Arctic, reflecting all environ­ mental changes in their catchment areas and accumulating the bulk of the pollutants discharged into the catchment area. Meanwhile, aquatic ecosystems are very vulnerable to distur­ bances in the hydrological regime, water quality deterioration and introduction of new species. Due to specific characteristics of the distribution of air masses in the Northern Hemisphere, most of the pollutants discharged into the atmosphere in industrially developed regions are transported to the Arctic, where they precipitate and accumulate in the local reference. The role of local pollution sources is also substantial. Intensive industrial development on the Kola Peninsula in the 20th cen­ tury, and mineral prospecting and development during recent decades, accompanied by climate change, have resulted in increased effects on key biological, geochemical and physical processes in freshwater ecosystems of the North. Though the general trend of such changes is questionable and possibly multidirectional in some specific regions, the unbalancing of the climate and the loss of stability are clear. Aquatic ecosys­ tems at high latitudes are especially vulnerable to changes in climatic variables. Variations in air temperature and precipita­ tion can induce changes in flow, water levels and water volumes in lakes, water balance, bio-productivity, and other characteristics. The consistent effects of climate changes and environmental pollution are complicated and cause thorough alterations in Arctic freshwater ecosystems, reducing their stability and, in the long run, their socio-economic importance; this may predi­ cate considerable alterations in the most important regional industries: power engineering, commercial fishing (including aquaculture) and tourism. It may also result in social strain related to the worsening of living conditions. The rate of such alterations has been rapidly growing in recent years. Phenomena that were unbelievable in the 20th century, such as mass blooming of blue-green algae, have become regular in the Arctic lakes. We can note the main trends of such alterations: 1. increased toxicity of aquatic environments as a result of pollutant accumulation in lakes; 2. change of trophic state of lakes and increase of eutrophication rates; 3. change of directions and rates of succession; 4. decrease of ecosystem stability and elevated risk of catastrophic degradation. Studies of geochemical processes in water indicate a stable trend of heavy metal accumulation. At the same time, metal accumulation in upper sediment layers formed in recent deca­ des is most illustrative. This phenomenon can be observed in lakes located in the immediate impact zone of industrial enter­ prises and lakes from remote areas formerly considered “refer­ ence” (Fig. 2). Primary producers are important elements of water ecosys­ tems, and algae are the most important primary producers in the northern regions. At present, the water bodies of the region -Д- - Pb Figure 2. Concentrations (mg/g) of Ni, Cu and Pb in dated sediments of lakes located at various distances from the Pechenganikel smelter.