Hydrochemical and geophysical data collected during a hydrological survey in September 2017, reveal patterns of small-scale hydrological connectivity in a small water track catchment in the ...north-European Arctic. The stable isotopic composition of water in different compartments was used as a tracer of hydrological processes and connectivity at the water track catchment scale. Elevated tundra patches underlain by sandy loams were disconnected from the stream and stored precipitation water from previous months in saturated soil horizons with low hydraulic conductivity. At the catchment surface and in the water track thalweg, some circular hollows, from 0.2 to 0.4 m in diameter, acted as evaporative basins with low deuterium excess (d-excess) values, from 2‰ to 4‰. Observed evaporative loss suggests that these hollows were disconnected from the surface and shallow subsurface runoff. Other hollows were connected to shallow subsurface runoff, yielding d-excess values between 12‰ and 14‰, close to summer precipitation. ‘Connected’ hollows yielded a 50% higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content, 17.5 ± 5.3 mg/L, than the ‘disconnected’ hollows, 11.8 ± 1.7 mg/L. Permafrost distribution across the landscape is continuous but highly variable. Open taliks exist under fens and hummocky depressions, as revealed by electric resistivity tomography surveys. Isotopic evidence supports upward subpermafrost groundwater migration through open taliks under water tracks and fens/bogs/depressions and its supply to streams via shallow subsurface compartment. Temporal variability of isotopic composition and DOC in water track and a major river system, the Vorkuta River, evidence the widespread occurrence of the described processes in the large river basin. Water tracks effectively drain the tundra terrain and maintain xeric vegetation over the elevated intertrack tundra patches.
The specific features of the formation of soils and soil-like bodies on technogenic substrates in Vorkuta—a polar city specializing in coal mining—are characterized. According to the new Russian soil ...classification system, these soils are classified as urbanozems (urban soils) and constructozems (soil-like bodies constructed by humans); the latter are subdivided into recreazems (soil-like bodies of recreation zones) and replantozems (soil-like bodies of reclaimed urban areas with planted vegetation). They are characterized by the increased content of heavy metals and by some alkalization of the upper soil horizons in comparison with the natural background soils. The benz(a)pyrene content in most of the soil samples exceeds the maximum permissible concentration (MPC). The maximum levels of the soil contamination with benz(a)pyrene reach 80 MPCs. According to the total contamination index calculated relative to the background concentrations of the major contaminants, the upper horizons of the investigated soils and soil-like bodies are qualified as ecologically hazardous and extremely hazardous bodies.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds characterized by carcinogenic, toxic and mutagenic effect on life organisms. The mining and burning of coal are widely practiced in the ...tundra zone which results in the release of PAHs. The studies of PAHs content in organogenic horizon of tundra soil and southern tundra plants were performed at the control sites and at areas affected by coal industry. The soil and plants were analyzed for PAHs by HPLC. It was established that tundra soils, lichens and mosses are contaminated with polyarenes to a larger extent in the areas affected by the coal mining. The peak of PAHs concentration in the area affected by the Vorkutinskaya coal mine was observed within the distance of 0.5 km, and within 1.0 km in the area affected by the thermal power station. We propose to use diagnostic correlations of fluoranthene/ chrysene and fluoranthene/benzbfluoranthene in soils and mosses Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. to characterize the origin of polyarenes in tundra ecosystems. The similar polyarenes distribution is found in the soils and plants under the influence of coal industry. With polyarenes supply from industrial sources decreasing, their bioaccumulation level in the plants is reduced. We recommend Pleurozium schreberi to be used as a pollution indicator of tundra phytocenoses with PAHs and leaves of Betula nana L. for assessment of short-time changes of polyarene contents. The general contents rather than the surface accumulations are more suitable for the monitoring studies.
The chemistry of snow cover in the territory of Vorkuta agglomeration is assessed. Pollutant inputs onto the territories of sanitary protection zones of industrial plants of Vorkuta C., including the ...mines of Vorkutinskaya and Yun’-Yaga and cement factory are calculated. Schematic maps are constructed for the distribution of substances in the examined territory. The input of pollutants onto cement plant territory is shown to have decreased from the year of 2004 to 2014.
Various human footprints on the flux of biogenic greenhouse gases from permafrost-affected soils in Arctic and boreal domains in Russia are considered. Tendencies of significant growth or suppression ...of soil CO
2
fluxes change across types of human impact. Overall, the human impacts increase the mean value and variance of local soil CO
2
flux. Human footprint on methane exchange between soil and atmosphere is mediated by drainage. However, all the types of human impact suppress the sources and increase sinks of methane to the land ecosystems. N
2
O flux grew under the considered types of human impact. Based on the results, we suggest that human footprint on soil greenhouse gases fluxes is comparable to the effect of climate change at an annual to decadal timescales.
On the 25th of January, 2018 within the limits of the Vorkuta urban district, the regional seismic stations recorded an event classified as a rock burst. The records of 17 stations at the epicentral ...distances from 260 to 1645 km were collected and analyzed. The epicenter was localized in the Komsomolskaya Mine field of the Vorkuta coal deposit. Parameters of this event hypocenter were calculated by the data of the mine seismic monitoring network GITS, Vorkutaugol, which greatly improved reliability of determination of the hypocenter as compare with processing results of he regional stations and offered a reference estimate of the localization. The 25th of January rock burst has one more time proved that the geodynamic control and safety enhancement in the important mining region in the Republic of Komi requires installation of seismic stations nearby mine fields in the Vorkuta district.
The probability of obtaining of ash-free coal extracts, so-called “hyper-coals,” has been shown for coals of the Pechora basin for the first time. The ash content in them does not exceed a few ...percent, whereas initial coals contain up to 20% ash. High-resolution
13
C NMR shows the similarity in the structure of the initial coal and the extract. It is demonstrated that the solvent selected for hyper-coal extraction is not chemically inert, and the products of interaction of N-metylpyrrolidone and organic matter of coal are present in the composition of the extracts obtained.
Peripheral amino acid fragments of humic and fulvic acid molecules from tundra soils have been identified and quantified. A significant weight fraction of amino acids has been found in humic acid ...preparations, which exceeds their content in fulvic acids. Features of the amino acid composition of humic substances along the soil profile and depending on the degree of hydromorphism and the proportions of different (neutral, basic, acidic, cyclic) groups in amino acids have been revealed. The molar ratio between the hydroxy and heterocyclic amino acids reflects the degree of humification of the soil.
PDF
