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Toxic (mercury, berillium) and biogenic (selenium, fluorine) elements in aquatic ecosystems of Baikal Natural Territory

  • Water Quality and Protection: Environmental Aspects
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Abstract

Up-to-date analytical methods are used to collect data on the concentrations of toxic (mercury, beryllium) and biogenic (selenium, fluorine) elements in various aquatic landscape-geochemical systems of Baikal Natural Territory, including the central, buffer zone, and the zone of atmospheric influence. The concentrations of selenium and fluorine were found to far below (with rare exceptions) their hygienic standards for drinking water. By this characteristic, the Baikal Natural Territory is classified as a deficient biogeochemical province. The low concentrations (up to nanograms) of highly toxic elements—mercury and beryllium—in surface and subsurface waters of aquatic landscapes show that the considered ecological zones are quite favorable for human life. Studying microelements in landscape-geochemical zones opens the way for environmentally safe nature management in the territory and enables one to forecast variations in the quality of water resources under growing anthropogenic load.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geochemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Favorskogo 1a, Irkutsk, 664033, Russia

    I. S. Lomonosov, V. I. Grebenshchikova, O. A. Sklyarova, N. N. Bryukhanova & D. A. Noskov

  2. Irkutsk State Medical University, ul. Krasnogo Vosstaniya 1, Irkutsk, 664003, Russia

    L. M. Yanovskii

  3. Irkutsk State Technical University, ul. Lermontova 83, Irkutsk, 664074, Russia

    Yu. N. Didenkov

Authors
  1. I. S. Lomonosov
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  2. V. I. Grebenshchikova
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  3. O. A. Sklyarova
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  4. N. N. Bryukhanova
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  5. D. A. Noskov
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  6. L. M. Yanovskii
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  7. Yu. N. Didenkov
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Original Russian Text © I.S. Lomonosov, V.I. Grebenshchikova, O.A. Sklyarova, N.N. Bryukhanova, D.A. Noskov, L.M. Yanovskii, Yu.N. Didenkov, 2011, published in Vodnye Resursy, 2011, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 193–204.

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Lomonosov, I.S., Grebenshchikova, V.I., Sklyarova, O.A. et al. Toxic (mercury, berillium) and biogenic (selenium, fluorine) elements in aquatic ecosystems of Baikal Natural Territory. Water Resour 38, 199–210 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807811020084

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