Anthropogenic Transformations in the Mouth Area of Tributaries as Factors of Negative Impact on Lake Baikal

Olga V Gagarinova,Natalia V Vlasova,Irina B Vorobyeva,Andrei A Sorokovoi,Irina A Belozertseva,Natalia V Emelyanova

doi:10.3390/w13091295

Abstract

The paper presents the results of complex geoecological, hydrochemical and water-ecological studies of the mouth area of tributaries and shores of Lake Baikal at model sites. The mouth area of tributaries is in dynamic interaction with the receiving water body; chemical and biological accumulative and exchange processes directly affect the state of the Lake Baikal’s water resources. The study assessed the transformation and determined potential resilience of the main components of landscapes to anthropogenic loads within the mouth area. Revealed are the basic parameters of soil and surface water pollution and factors of anthropogenic influence of residential and recreational zones on the natural complexes of the model territories. The research results showed that the pollutant accumulation on the geochemical barriers of soils and alluvial deposits, purification of surface waters in floodplain meadow and wetlands are quite active and generally support the ecological state of the mouth area. However, the low degree of resilience to anthropogenic loads and the current level of degradation of the landscape components of mouth complexes indicate the need to reduce the adverse impact on these territories and on the lake ecosystem as a whole.

Highlights

Lake Baikal is a unique, oldest, largest and deepest freshwater water body on the planet, containing 20% of the world’s fresh water
Comprehensive research of the mouth zones and adjacent areas of the Baikal coasts is aimed at studying the transformations of natural components-soils, vegetation and surface waters, as well as the determination of the potential stability of landscape components against natural and anthropogenic changes
The study identified two large subdivisions of soils with varying degrees of stability to the anthropogenic impact on the study areas locating on the shore of Lake Baikal [29]

Summary

Introduction

Lake Baikal is a unique, oldest, largest and deepest freshwater water body on the planet, containing 20% of the world’s fresh water. The increasing water scarcity in the world and current ecological issues of Lake Baikal indicate the need for enhancing environmental activities aimed at the protection of the lake and its watershed area and at minimizing the adverse anthropogenic impact on the lake ecosystem. The influx of pollutants with the waters of the tributaries, intensification of eutrophication of shallow coastal areas of the lake in the context of an excess of nutrients, mass reproduction of algae, etc. These processes are clearly manifested in the areas of southern and northern Baikal near settlements and tourist sites [3,4,5]. The terrestrial coastal ecosystems experiencing increasing anthropogenic pressures are degrading [6,7,8]

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Conclusion