Chemical composition of snow in the water area of Lake Baikal and on the adjacent territory

Abstract

It is found that pollution of the territory from local sources of the zone of atmospheric influence spreads over several tens of kilometers along the prevailing wind direction, and in the central zone it is replaced by regional pollution. Snow pollution in the water area of Lake Baikal was recorded near coastal settlements and in the mouth of the Selenga river. It is established that the southern hollow of Baikal holds the lead in the input of NO₂, NO₃, NH₄, PO₄, F, Al, Na, Ba, Mo, Mn, Pb, Cu, Zn, Sr, Hg and oil products to the lake’s water area in spite of the fact that it is twice as small as the northern hollow. The northern hollow receives much larger amounts of SO₄, H₂CO₃, Cl, Ca, Mg and K than the northern hollow, and much larger amounts of Be, V, Cr and Co than the middle hollow, which is associated with the operation of coastal enterprises, boilers, thermoelectric plants, stove heating, automobile exhaust emissions, and with the natural transport of dust in snow-deficient areas of the middle hollow. It is determined that that last five years saw a slight increase in regional pollution for separate components. It is shown that in the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, pollution decreased twice, which was due to the setback in industrial production.