Possible Indicators for Assessing Geo-Environmental Risk in Polar Ecosystems of the Yamal Peninsula in Relation to Pollutant Emission During Gas Production

Abstract

The methodologies of risk analysis and critical loads (CLs) have been used to assess the influence of anthropogenic emission of NOx on terrestrial ecosystems of the Yamal Peninsula in the impacted zone of Bovanenkovo gas condensate field (BGCF). Depending on dominant plant communities, the calculated values of CLs of nutrient nitrogen were equal in average 210–350 eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (or 3–5 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Mean values of CLs of acidity were lower (100–200 eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Additional N deposition, associated with emission of NOx, is estimated at the center of 30-km zone under impact in 35–140 eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (or 0.5–2 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) at the initial stage, and more than 2000 eq ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ (or 25–30 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) at maximum gas production. But even at high exposure, exceedance of CLs in most ecosystems of this territory will not be higher than 1.5–2 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ that corresponds to low risks of eutrophication.