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 2017, VOL. 52, NO. 9, 921-929 https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2017.1318633 . < Л Taylor &. Francis С J Taylor &FrancisGroup I Л ) C heck for updates Selected aspects of the current state of freshwater resources in the Murmansk region, Russia Nikolay A. Kashulin, Vladimir A. Dauvalter, Dmitry B. Denisov, Svetlana A. Valkova, Oksana I. Vandysh, Petr M. Terentjev, and Alexander N. Kashulin Institute of the North Industrial Ecology Problems, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Science, Apatity, Murmansk, Russia ABSTRACT Aspects o f reducing the resource potential of surface waters of the Murmansk region in the global climate change and the environment and their irrational use have been considered. Increase of aquatic environment toxicity, drastic restructuring o f the structural and functional characteristics of aquatic communities, changes in trophic status o f lakes, reducing the stability of freshwater ecosystems, increasing the risk of catastrophic degradation have been shown. Taking into account the regional peculiarities, some indicators of surface water quality in the Murmansk region have been proposed. Introduction Among the natural resources in the Arctic, surface waters play the most important role. Two components of such resources can be distinguished: water resources and biological resources, including fish. The resource potential of surface waters can be determined by both quantitative and qualitative indicators, including water quality indicators and structure-functional parameters of hydrobiont com­ munities. Bodies of water consist of two interrelated and interde­ pendent parts: a catchment area and the body ofwater itself. To a large extent, lakes and rivers determine the economic and social development of Northern regions. They are sources of provisions and have close relationships with the cultural her­ itage of indigenous peoples, constituting a part of their habitats. Fresh water serves as a source of energy and water for popula­ tion and industry, thruways to other regions, places for com­ mercial and sport fishery and for fish-farming, recreation sites promoting the development of tourism, and sites for recreation and health recovery for local populations, with important aes­ thetic and spiritual meaning. In general, the Murmansk region has substantial water resources. There are 107146 lakes on its territory (with surface area 8195 km). Mean over-year river run-off is 65.7 km3/year. However, the structure of the hydrographic network in the Murmansk region is quite peculiar. It is characterized by an abundance of small rivers (95% of all rivers are shorter than 10 km). The total lake ratio is 6%, but most of the lakes (99%) are small and have surface area less than 1 km2. The natural behaviour of the largest lakes and rivers is regulated by water controlling structures such as hydroelectric power plants.[1] Further, there are large industrial enterprises and towns in the catchment areas of the largest lakes and rivers, using them for ARTICLE HISTORY Received 11 January 2017 Accepted 14 March 2017 KEYWORDS Aquatic organisms; freshwater resources; heavy metals; ichthyofauna; sediments; water; water ecosystems water supply and waste disposal; therefore, rapid degradation of the water quality can be observed. Total water intake of the Murmansk region is 1.63 km3/year, of which 1.6 km3/year is used for industrial and utility needs.[2] Therefore, the water resources currently in use are limited, and their quality contin­ ues to decrease. It is necessary to review the main principles of water management in the region and to develop a system of water quality management and control. The present article con­ centrates on selected aspects of these issues. Materials and methods This article was based on the results of long-term (from 2000 till 2013) integrated studies of freshwater ecosystems of the northwestern part of the Murmansk region and the frontier ter­ ritory between Russia, Norway and Finland. Sediment samples from the lakes were collected with a gravitational corer and vertically sliced into 1-cm layers for analysis.[3] Concentrations of heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Co, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg and As) in the sediment samples, extracted by the concentrated nitric acid, were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Techniques for the chemical analysis are described in detail earlier.[4,5] The quality of the data obtained has been assessed by comparison with the standard-samples solutions within the framework of the international intercalibration (Intercomparison 0115, Norwegian Institute for Water Research).[6] Sampling and analysis of the phytoplankton, zooplankton, zoobenthos and phytoperiphyton were performed using stan­ dard techniques.[7,8] Fish were caught with a standard set of gill nets, 25 m long and 1.5 m high, and mesh sizes: 16, 20, 31, 36, and 40 mm. CONTACT Vladimir A. Dauvalter @ vladimir@inep.ksc.ru © Institute of the North Industrial Ecology Problems, KSC, RAS, Fersman str. 14, Apatity 184209, Murmansk, Russia. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC