Leader: Marina Frontasyeva
Co-supervisor: Evgeny Zakharov (Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, NEFU, Yakutsk)
Work phone number: +7 (496) 216-59-46
Work E-mail: marina(at)nf.jinr.ru, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Scientific problem:
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the key region of the Russian Federation in terms of mineral reserves and mining. Yakutia ranks first in the country in terms of reserves of all types of natural resources. The main sectors of the economy are diamond, gold, oil, gas and coal mining. Currently, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is classified as an ecological risk zone in the Russian Federation. The main atmospheric pollutants are carbon monoxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide [1]. Geochemical investigations of soils, snow cover and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the ground layer of the atmosphere in Yakutsk revealed the production of toxic elements such as manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). It is noteworthy that environmentally hazardous fine and medium fractions of SPM show elevated concentrations of elements classified as toxic classes 1 and 2, in particular, Cd, Pb, and Cu. The average annual concentrations of SPM in the city's air exceed sanitary standards by 1.8 times [2]. However, data on air pollution with heavy metals and other toxic elements in the industrial zones of Yakutia are still scarce. These zones include the world leader in diamond exploration, mining and sales, as well as in the production of diamond products ALROSA Joint Stock Company; The Elkon Mining and Metallurgical Plant, part of the Atomredmetzoloto Uranium Holding Co., established in 2007 to develop the world's largest uranium deposit and currently developing gold ore deposits in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Yakutcement OJSC, a manufacturing company primarily engaged in the production of cement, clinker and crushed stone, along with several other enterprises that contribute to environmental pollution and impact human health [3]. Moss-based biomonitoring is particularly effective for estimating the levels and spatial distribution of both anthropogenic and natural pollutants [4]. Of particular interest is the Arctic northwestern region of Yakutia, known for its large reserves of rare earth elements [5-7].
References
1. https://ddt.yaguo.ru/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Metod.sbornik-YUnye-ekologi.pdf
2. V.N. Makarov, N.V. Torgovkin. Atmospheric Pollution of Yakutsk City by Suspended Particulate Matter. Natural Resources of the Arctic and Subarctic, 2020, Vol. 25, No. 1. DOI: 10.31242/2618-9712-2020-25-1-4. Institute of Permafrost Studies, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia. (in Russian).
3. .A. Astafjev, O.A. Ushkareva, N.P. Semenova. Pollution of atmospheric air and incidence of the population of the republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Preventive Medicine. Bulletin of the All-Russian Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2013, №. 6(94) (in Russian).
4. https://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk/
5. https://arctic-russia.ru/project/tomtorskoe-mestorozhdenie/
6. https://ysia.ru/v-yakutii-planiruyut-nachat-razrabotku-gigantskogo-mestorozhdeniya-redkozemelnyh-metallov/
7. perspektivy-osvoeniya-tomtorskogo-mestorozhdeniya-kompleksnyh-niobiy-redkozemelnyh-rud.pdf&type=application/pdf
Objective:
To assess the level of atmospheric air pollution by heavy metals and toxic elements in the industrial areas of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) using the moss biomonitoring method. The obtained data will form the basis for spatial distribution maps of the elements and a database for environmental risk assessment.
Tasks:
1. Implementation of sampling in 2026 in addition to sampling in 2024 and 2025.
2. Preparing samples for NAA at the REGATA facility of the IBR-2 reactor.
3. Implementation of statistical processing of a large data array.
4. Constructing element distribution maps using advanced GIS technologies.
5. Publishing the results in Russian and international environmental journals.
6. Defending a master's thesis.
Research facility: