Development and testing of autonomous water quality monitoring system in the littoral zone of Lake Baikal

<p>Currently, shipborne observations using CTD-type instruments are the main method for studying the hydrological characteristics of Lake Baikal. They provide episodic information about the spatial distribution of temperature, mineralization and dissolved oxygen over the depth of the lake but do not provide detailed information about their temporal variability. As a rule, hydrochemical parameters are measured even more pointwise because they require sampling and subsequent analysis. To study spatiotemporal variability of ecosystem characteristics in more detail, it is necessary to combine shipborne observations with long-term measurements at coastal stations or develop a network of abyssal buoy stations equipped with various hydrophysical instruments.</p><p>The first step in this direction was the development and implementation of an automated hydrometeorological station at Limnological Institute SB RAS to organize online monitoring of hydrophysical, hydrochemical and meteorological parameters in the littoral zone of Lake Baikal. The developed station is based on an AAQ177 Rinko water quality profiler (JFE Advantech, Japan) and water level sensor developed at Limnological Institute SB RAS. Meteorological parameters are measured with a set of Vantage Pro 2 sensors (Davis Instruments, USA). The environmental parameters measured every 10 seconds are transmitted in real time via wireless communication channels to a remote Internet server. Functionally, this server is a data collection and data processing centre (data centre). Tasks of the data centre include receiving data from the network of monitoring stations, primary processing, storage and provision of the access through the WEB page.</p><p>The monitoring station was installed at the pier of Limnological Institute SB RAS in the Bolshiye Koty settlement in August 2020. The obtained comparatively high-frequency and quasi-continuous measurements of the indicated parameters allowed us for the first time to trace in detail their daily and monthly variations during the summer-winter transition period. A comparative analysis of the obtained data with the results of parallel chemical analyses of the daily samples revealed their good agreement. In general, it is noteworthy that the set of measured parameters of develop station is sufficient to assess water quality and track its changes over time.</p><p>The development of systems for online monitoring of water balance parameters, such as water temperature, solar irradiance, wind regime, chemical and biogenic elements, etc., can provide additional information to understand the causes of the recent ecological transformation of the littoral zone of Lake Baikal. Thus, we will be able to switch from discrete/one-time observations to quasi-continuous ones, which will significantly improve the forecasting of natural and anthropogenic phenomena that are hazardous for the residents and ecosystem of the Baikal natural territory, and will form the basis for the development of the solutions for their prevention or mitigation.         </p><p>The work was supported by the grant No. 075-15-2020-787 in the form of a subsidy for a Major scientific project from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia (project "Fundamentals, methods and technologies for digital monitoring and forecasting of the environmental situation on the Baikal natural territory").</p>

Vladimir Ilyich Verbolov: Fighter, Scientist-Hydrologist, Teacher

The article is dedicated to the Baikal hydrologist Vladimir Ilyich Verbolov, who devoted his entire life to the study of Lake Baikal. He participated in the Great Patriotic War. Vladimir Ilyich Verbolov was awarded many awards for bravery, courage and valor: the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War II degree, the badge “Guard”. Vladimir Ilyich also received the gratitude Of the Supreme commander-in-chief I. V. Stalin and was awarded medals: “For bravery”, “For military merit”, “For the capture of Berlin”, “For the liberation of Warsaw”, “For victory in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945” and “Zhukov Medal”. V. I. Verbolov is a graduate of the faculty of physics and mathematics of Irkutsk state University. His professional life was connected with the Baikal Limnological station, which in 1961 was reorganized into the Limnological Institute of the SB RAS. V. I. Verbolov made a significant contribution to the study of the thermal regime of waters, currents and water exchange in the lake. He conducted a planned study of the hydrodynamics of lake Baikal, which included the following areas: 1. surface and deep currents, flow rates, 2. horizontal and vertical currents, 3. intra-And inter-basin flow rates and water exchange, 4. radiation and heat balance, 5. mathematical modeling of hydrodynamic processes.V. I. Verbolov author of 180 scientific papers, including articles, monographs, collections, atlases, final scientific reports on state projects, in which he was the head.

Prospects of Fish-Husbandry Utilization of Maloye More Fishing Area: Economic Assessment and Substantiation

The article was written on the basis of the results of the research conducted by the staff scientists of Limnological Institute of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Baikal State University. The aim was to define ecological and economic viability of planting of prospective autochthonous aquatic species including Baikal omul Coregonus migratorius in Maloye More fishing area. The process of fish planting is considered in the light of the need for satisfying the demand for omul both among the local population and tourists visiting Maloye More. The authors give a brief analysis of the demand for fish among the above mentioned categories. On the basis of calculations, a conclusion is drawn that it is impossible to satisfy the need for omul among the population of Maloye More and tourists visiting the area, whose number is growing fast, solely by means of natural propagation. Thus, the authors made an economic assessment of viability of measures aimed at stocking Maloye More fishing area with fish. These measures include acquisition of juvenile omul and its transportation from fish-breeding farms in Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Buryatia and also construction of a fish-breeding farm in Maloye More fishing area.

30 лет программе «Байкал-бурение»

The book is devoted to the International Baikal Drilling Project, a part of the program «Global changes of the environment and climate», accomplished by the Russian, American and Japanese scientists. Much attention is given to the fact that the Baikal Drilling team acted as a single, solid team. The major results obtained from those studies were described in numerous publications published in various Russian and International journals. We hope that the book will be interesting for young scientists, so that they can feel an interest in studying the secrets of nature. The project was accomplished owing to the efforts of M.I. Kuzmin, V.S. Antipin, A.V. Goreglyad, V.F. Geletyi, G.V. Kalmychkov (Institute of Geochemistry, SB RAS), M.A Grachev, O.M. Khlystov (Limnological Institute, SB RAS). Many problems that arouse in the project management were solved with the assistance of V.A. Fialkov, Director of the Baikal Museum, SB RAS, A.A. Bukharov, Vive-Director of the Baikal Museum, and the translators T. V. Bunaeva and M. Yu. Khomutova. The book not only describes a difficult work in the ice of Lake Baikal, but also presents the valuable data on the mineral composition of the bottom sediments, the discovery of Baikal gas hydrates, and the evolution of the landscapes and climate of the Baikal region in the Late Cenozoic. Modern methods of electron-probe x-ray spectral microanalysis and isotope geochemistry are described in detail. All this, as well as the methods of modeling real mineral associations, make this book valuable for researchers in different fields of science.

Observation results of hydrophysical and hydrochemical parameters in the littoral zone of Lake Baikal

The article presents the first results of field tests of the automated station developed by the researchers from Limnological Institute SB RAS for measuring hydrophysical, hydrochemical and meteorological parameters in water bodies with the real-time data transmission to a remote Internet server. We show daily and hourly variations of the main hydrophysical and hydrochemical parameters in the littoral zone and near the pier in the Bolshiye Koty settlement. A comparative analysis of the obtained data with the results of parallel chemical analyses of the daily samples revealed their good agreement.