Environmental monitoring of Lake Baikal

Ingress of chemicals into Lake Baikal from the atmosphere as a part of fall-out and dry precipitation in 2013

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 2013.

According to observation data, in 2013, in comparison with the previous five-year period, the inputs of mineral nitrogen compounds and organic substances (OS) at the Bolshoe Goloustnoye station increased by 30–40% and inputs of sparingly soluble substances (SSS) grew by by 10%. The input of mineral substances to the Angara Source station increased by 10%.

A significant drop, in comparison with the previous period, was recorded at the Khamar-Daban Station – the inputs of OS and SSS decreased by 30% and 24% respectively. The input of the controlled substances at the Baykalsk station decreased to a lesser extent – by 10%.

In general, according to the generalized indicator of the input of substances from the atmosphere, the deterioration in 2013 was most pronounced at the Bolshoye Goloustnoye and Angara Source stations.

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.