scholarly journals High-density metals and arsenic in algae of storm emissions from the coastal area of the Severny island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 40-48
Author(s):  
B. P. Andreev ◽  
Yu. N. Zakrevsky ◽  
E. S. Martynova ◽  
Zh. V. Plakhotskaya

Purpose of the Study is to assess the potential hazard in terms of the content of high-density metals (HDMs) and arsenic (As) for the consumption of objects of the Arctic algal flora presented in storm emissions in places of probable disembarkation of a crew, the ship has come in a distress or a disaster in the water area of the northern seas of the Russian Federation.Materials and methods. The elemental composition of samples of the plants thrown by the wind-wave impact on the coastal area of the Severny island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Before making the analysis, thallus fragments were dried at 80° C to constant weight to determine their dry weight with an accuracy of 1 mg. The material mineralization was carried out using a microwave mineralizer according to the standard technique. The elementary analysis was performed using MGA-915M atomic spectrometer. The data obtained were compared with the maximum permissible levels established by the current regulatory documents. According to the results of measurements, series of decreasing concentrations of HDMs in algae samples were built according to the places of collection and species.Results and Discussion. It has been found that the lowest content of HDMs and arsenic in the wind-wave emissions of algae on the Severny Island in the Russkaya Gavan Bay of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago belongs to both Laminaria digitata and vegetative parts of the thallus of most of the other ejected algae. These plants can be used for food in extreme situations by the crews of a ship (an aircraft, etc.) who has come in a distress or a disaster.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
V. P. Andreev ◽  
Yu. N. Zakrevskiy ◽  
E. S. Martynova ◽  
Zh. V. Plakhotskaya

Introduction. In publications devoted to survival under conditions of autonomous existence, there is no information available on the contamination of natural food raw materials with heavy metals (HM). The prevalence of HM in the Arctic and the ability of some plants to their bioaccumulation necessitates studying the content of hazardous elements in samples of local flora.Purpose of the work: assessment of the potential hazard, based on the content of HM, the consumption of objects of the Arctic flora that grow at military training places and places of probable disembarkation of crews of ships being in distress in areas of the northern seas of the Russian Federation.Tasks: assessment of the content of HM in plants growing in the Arctic and comparison of the obtained data with the maximum permissible levels (MPE) established by current regulatory documents. Vegetation samples were collected on the territory of the Northern Island of Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, their species affiliation was determined and they were dried in the herbar press. The analysis was performed by means of atomic spectrometer MGA-915M. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the software Statistica for Windows 7.0. It was found that the content of cadmium (Cd) in willow leaves exceeds manifold the maximum permissible concentration. In plants of other species, small excess of MPE by selected elements were found. The data obtained are discussed in the context of the exceptional ability of willow plants to accumulate HM, especially Cd. It is proposed to exclude arctic species of willow from the list of objects recommended for eating in conditions of autonomous existence. The other objects are not advisable to exclude. However, taking into account some excesses of MPC in a number of plants, the prevention of monophagy as well as the maximum possible diversity and alternation of plant species when used for food is strongly recommended for consummation of plants. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Andrey Medvedev ◽  
Natalia Alekseenko ◽  
Maria Arsentyeva

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The Arctic region is currently at the next stage of increased interest not only from the Arctic States, but also from the entire world community. The main pollutants in the region are oil and gas products, heavy metals, chemical and radioactive contamination. The Arctic region of the Russian Federation has experienced a strong anthropogenic impact of radionuclides due to the use of nuclear energy. The main source of pollution is nuclear testing. About 132 tests were conducted on Novaya Zemlya, including 87 atmospheric, 3 underwater and 42 underground tests. Another source of radioactive contamination is the operation of the naval and civil nuclear fleet, as well as nuclear power plants (on the Kola Peninsula and in Bilibino). Until 1963, most of the tests were carried out in the atmosphere and under water, but after the signing of the Moscow Treaty on August 5, 1963, which prohibits the testing of nuclear weapons in three environments (under water, in the atmosphere and outer space), all tests were carried out underground, in tunnels and wells.</p><p>The object of research and mapping is the territory of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and the nuclear test site located on it. On the territory of the nuclear test site constantly there was an assessment of the radioecological situation. The scientific community is interested in the processes taking place on the New Earth. The territory of the archipelago is constantly involved in various Arctic programs aimed at monitoring the level of environmental pollution and reducing the number of sources of pollution.</p><p>The aim of this work is to create multi-time animations of nuclear tests and the results of radionuclide pollution. These animated cartographic images differ not only in their time scales, but also a large set of qualitative and quantitative characteristics that characterize the results of anthropogenic influence.</p><p>As sources for creation of cartographic animations were: field data, remote sensing data (RS), Open sources, marine navigation maps, DEM’s (AsterDem, ArcticDem, GEBCO), meteorological data, thematic maps (including atlases), topographic maps, literary sources. The main part of the information about Novaya Zemlya archipelago was taken from the works of the Arctic marine complex expedition, which are devoted to the nature, history, archeology and culture of the archipelago. To obtain complete information about the explosions and their energy release ranges, additional open sources were used, from which it is possible to learn about the type of explosion, its power and location (geographical coordinates).</p><p>Dynamic geo-imagery was developed and established by the following method: study of object mapping and the collection of primary spatial data – creation script dynamic geo-imagery – the creation of a geodatabase of research – the creation of the thematic maps and layout of geo-imagery in the graphic editor – create animations with different time scales.</p><p>During the creation of cartographic animations based on the collected data, a multi-time multi-scale cartographic animation was developed, which allowed using the original graphical solution to visualize three interconnected time scales, which allowed to visualize the processes of infiltration and propagation of radioactive inert gases.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 133-139
Author(s):  
Vitaly M. Spitsyn ◽  
Alexander V. Kondakov ◽  
Elsa Froufe ◽  
Mikhail Y. Gofarov ◽  
André Gomes-Dos-Santos ◽  
...  

In this study, we present an announcement of Novaya Zemlya Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus ungulatus (von Baer, 1841) complete mitogenome. This rodent was described historically as an Arctic Collared Lemming subspecies endemic to Novaya Zemlya (Arctic Russia) but its taxonomic status was unclear due to the lack of available molecular data. Based on a comprehensive mitogenomic phylogeny of the Arctic Collared Lemming, we show that this insular population shares a highly divergent mtDNA sequence (total length 16,341 bp). Hence, it should be considered a valid subspecies of the Arctic Collared Lemming. Our findings support the hypothesis that the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago had served as a cryptic polar refugium for cold-tolerant terrestrial and freshwater taxa since the mid-Pleistocene or even earlier.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 240-247
Author(s):  
J.V. Vorobyova

The article tells about the exhibition of Mikhail Vladimirovich Flint «Immersing into the magic of nature» which took place from March 1 to March 31, 2019 in the Gallery of Сlassical Photography. The exhibition includes about 80 author’s photographs, which depict the amazing landscapes of the Arctic, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Aral Seas and Plato Usturt, Issyk-Kul Lake and Kirgizstan mountains, Caspian Sea shore and Mangistau Peninsula.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Miroshnikov ◽  
Mikhail Flint ◽  
Enver Asadulin ◽  
Ramiz Aliev ◽  
Andrei Shiryaev ◽  
...  

AbstractIn recent years, cryoconite has received growing attention from a radioecological point of view, since several studies have shown that this material is extremely efficient in accumulating natural and anthropogenic radionuclides. The Novaya Zemlya Archipelago (Russian Arctic) hosts the second largest glacial system in the Arctic. From 1957 to 1962, numerous atmospheric nuclear explosions were conducted at Novaya Zemlya, but to date, very little is known about the radioecology of its ice cap. Analysis of radionuclides and other chemical elements in cryoconite holes on Nalli Glacier reveals the presence of two main zones at different altitudes that present different radiological features. The first zone is 130–210 m above sea level (a.s.l.), has low radioactivity, high concentrations of lithophile elements and a chalcophile content close to that of upper continental crust clarkes. The second zone (220–370 m a.s.l.) is characterized by high activity levels of radionuclides and “inversion” of geochemical behaviour with lower concentrations of lithophiles and higher chalcophiles. In the upper part of this zone (350–370 m a.s.l.), 137Cs activity reaches the record levels for Arctic cryoconite (5700–8100 Bq/kg). High levels of Sn, Sb, Bi and Ag, significantly exceeding those of upper continental crust clarkes, also appear here. We suggest that a buried layer of contaminated ice that formed during atmospheric nuclear tests serves as a local secondary source of radionuclide contamination. Its melting is responsible for the formation of this zone.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Khromova ◽  
Gennady Nosenko ◽  
Andrey Glazovsky ◽  
Anton Muraviev ◽  
Stanislav Nikitin ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;The new glacier inventory created recently at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences made it possible to study the current state and recent changes of glacial systems in Russia, where now there are 22 glacial systems. The total area of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;glaciation on this territory is 54,531 km2 based on Sentinel 2 images obtained mainly in 2016-2019. This area is occupied by 7478 glaciers. The largest glacial system in area is located on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago (22,241.37 km2). It is followed by Severnaya Zemlya (16491.81 km2) and Franz Josef Land (12530.03 km2). The next largest glacial systems are locate on the Caucasus Mountains (1067.13 km2), Kamchatka (682.8 km2) and Altai (523.14 km2). The area of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;glaciers on the Arctic island of Ushakov (283, 09 km2), in the Suntar Khayata mountains (132, 97 km2) and the Koryak Upland (254.1 km2) occupies a range from 100 to 300 km2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The largest group is small glacial systems, the area of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;which does not exceed 100 km2. They are located in different glaciological zones: the De Long Islands (65, 2 km2), &amp;#160;the Urals (10.45 km2), the Putorana Plateau (11.36 km2), the Byranga Mountains (29.94 km2), the Chersky Ridge (86.37 km2), the Chukotka Upland (15.98 km2). Northeast of the Koryak highlands (42.19 km2), Kodar Ridge (16.22 km2), Eastern Sayan (12.88 km2).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The remaining four regions are characterized by the smallest glacial systems. These are the Orulgan ridge (9.82km2) and the Kolyma Upland (6.62 km2), the Kuznetsk Alatau (3.42km2), the Barguzinsky (0.09) and Baikalsky ( 0.65km2) ridges. Despite their small size, these glacial systems are important from indicative point of view, fixing the zone of spatial distribution of glaciation. They indicate the growth points in the event of a change in climatic conditions according to a scenario favorable for glaciers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The glacier area has decreased since the compilation of the USSR glacier Inventory (1965-1982) by 5603.9 km2 or 9.3%. The area of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;polar glaciers has decreased less than glaciers in mountainous regions. Values &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;range from 5.44% (Novaya Zemlya) to 19.11% (De Longa Islands). Small glaciers were not found in the Khibiny. Glaciers in the Urals have reduced their area by 63%. The subpolar glacier systems of the Orulgan (46.6%), Chersky (44.4%), and Suntar-Khayata (34%) ridges reduced the area a little less. Reduction in the area of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;glacial systems in the temperate belt ranges from 57% (Eastern Sayan) to 13% (Kodar). The largest glacial systems in the Caucasus, Kamchatka and Altai have reduced their areas by 25, 22 and 39 percent, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The results of our studies confirm the tendencies for the reduction of the glacier area throughout Russia. The exception is the glaciers of the volcanic regions of Kamchatka, which increased their size or remained stationary. The magnitude and rate of changes depend on the local climatic and orographic features.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The presentation includes the results obtained in the framework of the following research projects: &amp;#8470; 0148-2019-0004 of the Research Plan of the Institute of Geography of RAS, &amp;#8470; 18-05-60067 supported by RFBR. &lt;/p&gt;


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Udalov ◽  
Margarita Chikina ◽  
Alexandra Chava ◽  
Andrey Vedenin ◽  
Sergey Shchuka ◽  
...  

Despite a large number of studies, a detailed overall picture of benthic communities zonation in the Arctic fjords is currently lacking. Our study aimed to find out whether there is a universal model for the distribution of benthic communities based on the structural features of the fjords. We examined benthic macrofaunal communities in fjords with various environmental settings on the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Kara Sea. The material was collected during five cruises undertaken from 2013 to 2016. A total of 50 stations located in the five fjords were taken. In all five fjords, macrofauna had a similar composition assembled from a regional species pool, with a predominance of species tolerant to glacial sedimentation and fluctuations in temperature and salinity. Benthic communities changed consistently along the axis of the bay from the outer slope to the inner parts. Biodiversity and quantitative characteristics of the macrofauna decreased along the environmental gradient related to terrigenous and glacial runoff, consistent with patterns reported in other studies of Arctic glacial fjords. The most impoverished communities were dominated by bivalve Portlandia arctica and isopod Saduria sabini. At the same time, fjord walls and sills, characterized by low sedimentation rates, strong currents and the presence of ice-rafted debris, were inhabited by patchy distributed benthic communities dominated by species confined to hard substrates. In general, the distribution of communities corresponded to five zones: depleted inner periglacial areas, the upper subtidal belt with stony substrates, deep inner semi-isolated basin, outer non-isolated basins and upper slope transitioning to lower slope. Our study can provide a reference point for monitoring changes in fjord ecosystems in response to climate change and the potential impact of human activities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Sergeeva ◽  
Olga Vorobieva

&lt;p&gt;Pronounced changes in the climate system that lead to a significant reduction in sea ice cover and active glacier melting provoke the great interest in ecosystem studies of archipelago bays in the high Arctic. In addition to increasing the duration of the open water period, the glacier melting increases the fresh water discharge from the archipelagos and thereby affects the coastal ecosystems of the Arctic region. There is practically no information about the ecosystems of the archipelago bays of the seas of the Russian Arctic due to the inaccessibility. Within the framework of the program &amp;#8220;Investigation of the Russian Arctic ecosystems&amp;#8221; in 2007-2020 held by Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, modern comprehensive studies of ecosystems of Novaya Zemlya bays, including phytoplankton (as primary producer of organic matter) were carried out. The most frequent observations were conducted in Blagopoluchiya Bay (North Island of Novaya Zemlya Archipelago), which has several coastal runoffs of glacial origin flow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We found that despite the constant enrichment with allochthonous suspended matter and nutrients with runoff from Novaya Zemlya to the Blagopoluchiya Bay there was no increase in phytoplankton production during the summer open water period (Borisenko et al. Thesis EGU21-9528). On the contrary, the quantitative characteristics of phytoplankton in euphotic layer were extremely low: 0.2-0.7 mkgC/l and 0.03 - 0.15 mkgChl/l. Obviously the inclusion of allochthonous nutrients in local production cycles over the sea part of the bay was difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To clarify the reasons of such low phytoplankton productivity against the background of the enrichment with nutrients of &amp;#8203;&amp;#8203;Blagopoluchiya Bay, multifactorial experiments were carried out on the monoculture of the cosmopolitan diatom &lt;em&gt;Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii&lt;/em&gt; Cleve, 1873, which is one of the dominant species in the Novaya Zemlya bays. Algae culture was isolated from the phytoplankton community of the Kara Sea and adapted to a salinity of 31 psu, typical for Novaya Zemlya bays. In addition to routine cell counting under microscope we used PAM-fluorometry to control the growth characteristics of algae that makes it possible to observe the photosynthetic activity of algae.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It was shown that the functioning of algae is greatly influenced by a significant gradients in salinity. When fresh runoff from Novaya Zemlya is mixed with the seawater of the bay, marine planktonic algae experience significant osmostress and immediately settle down and die off. With a slight dilution (up to 29-30 psu) of sea water by freshwater from the archipelago, the algae functioned well and doubled their biomass for 2-3 days. At the same time, we found that the algae were well adapted to a significant range of illumination: 40-200 &amp;#181;E, which apparently allows them to maintain high level of photosynthetic activity under the changing arctic illumination during the Arctic summer at high latitudes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study was performed within the framework of the state assignment of IO RAS, (topic no. 0149-2019-0008) and supported by the Russian Foundation of Basic Research (projects no. 18&amp;#8211;05&amp;#8211;60069Arctic and 19-04-00322 &amp;#1040;).&lt;/p&gt;


2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 84-89
Author(s):  
A. N. Zhekalov ◽  
I. Yu. Mishin

Introduction. The climatogeographic conditions of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation are determined by the proximity to the North Pole of the Earth and are characterized by a number of certain cyclical changes that do not take place in the middle latitudes — the polar day and the polar night. The high-latitude location determines the long period of the polar night, lasting from 98 to 133 days. Being the hallmark of the Arctic, the polar night is an integral part of service in the Arctic region, it has an impact on every geographically involved person, without exception.Purpose of work. To assess the mechanisms of the pathogenesis of visual impairment that develop during the polar night in naval specialists.Materials and research methods. The study involved 92 people. The surveyed contingent is male contract servicemen of the Navy, aged from 21 to 45 years. The analysis of the morbidity structure according to the ophthalmological profile was carried out during the polar night from November 20, 2020 to January 20, 2021 using an epidemiological method of a case-control study. The assessment of unfavorable climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region during the polar night was carried out by the method of analytical observation and data recording from November 20, 2020 to January 20, 2021 using the example of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Belushya Guba village. On the basis of an integral analysis of epidemiological indicators, climatogeographic and clinical and morphological observations, a pathophysiological assessment of diseases of the organ of vision, developing during the polar night in naval specialists, was carried out.Research results show a high level of ophthalmological morbidity during the polar night among naval specialists serving on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.Conclusions. Climatogeographic factors of the Arctic region have a polyetiological effect on the formation of mechanisms of pathogenesis of disorders of visual functions that develop in naval specialists during the polar night.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
A. N. Zhekalov ◽  
◽  
I. U. Mishin ◽  

Aim. To carry out a pathophysiological substantiation of the specificity of diseases of the organ of vision, developing under the influence of a complex of climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region. Materials and methods. Using a retrospective epidemiological method of case-control study on the basis of branch No. 8 of FGKU 1469 VMKG of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, an analysis of the morbidity structure by ophthalmological profile for a three-year period (2018-2020) among military personnel aged 18 to 45 years military service in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Belushya Guba village. The method of analytical observation and data recording was used to assess the complex of unfavorable climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region on the example of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Belushya Guba village. On the basis of an integral assessment of epidemiological and climatogeographic observations, a pathophysiological substantiation of the specificity of nosological groups of diseases of the organ of vision, developing under the influence of a complex of unfavorable factors of the Arctic region, is given. Results. The study involved 237 people. During the study period, 540 requests for ophthalmological help were registered. Of these, 64.26% are pathologies of inflammatory genesis, 32.6% are refractive disorders, 3.14% are diseases, the pathogenesis of which is associated with metabolic disorders in the body. The pathophysiological substantiation of the revealed morbidity structure according to the ophthalmological profile is due to the influence of a complex of unfavorable climatic and geographical factors of the Arctic region. Under the influence of wind and low temperatures, the structure of the tear film changes, the secretion of the meibomian glands becomes more viscous, as a result of which its concentration in the tear fluid decreases, and the eyes lose their protective barrier. The congealed secret clogs the ducts of the meibomian glands, which leads to their inflammation – meibomyitis. In turn, the insufficiency of the tear film provokes a decrease, and in more severe cases, a complete loss of natural tear production and the development of dry eye syndrome. The development of acute and chronic conjunctivitis is facilitated by a decrease in the reactivity of the body due to hypovitaminosis against the background of exposure to irritating climatic factors. With inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyelids, the frequency of inflammatory diseases of the lacrimal ducts and the lacrimal gland increases, which causes obstruction of the lacrimal tubules and hyperfunction of the lacrimal glands. On a polar night, the perception of bright lighting is aggravated, a long stay near which provokes the development of a spasm of accommodation and subsequently its habitual excessive stress. Lack of natural light during the polar night is a predisposing factor for the development of myopia. In addition, during the polar night, there is a high probability of developing A-vitamin deficiency, which results in impaired night vision, damage to the conjunctiva, and in more severe cases, the cornea. In the spring or early summer, when there is snow, and solar activity is high, the ultraviolet rays reflected from the snow enter the eyes, causing a retinal burn, ultraviolet ophthalmia develops. Conclusion. The impact of a complex of climatic and geographic factors of the Arctic region on the body provokes a restructuring of regulatory physiological processes and the launch of pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the emergence and development of inflammatory diseases of the eye and its accessory apparatus, refractive disorders, as well as pathology, which is based on metabolic disorders.


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