“Dirty” cities in Russia: factors determining air pollution

Abstract

The analysis of quality of atmospheric air in cities of Russia for 2000-2016 has been carried out. During this period 4 cities (Bratsk, Magnitogorsk, Chita and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) almost every year fell into the “black lists” of Roshydromet - both chronically and extremely polluted cities. Among Russian regions on high level of atmospheric pollution the cities of Irkutsk region (Bratsk, Irkutsk, Zima, etc.), Krasnoyarsk region (Krasnoyarsk, Norilsk, Minusinsk, etc.), as well as Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Tagil, etc.) and Chelyabinsk (Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, etc.) regions are allocated. The leading factors of formation of environmental situation in cities depending on their localization, specialization and population size have been revealed: 1) large industrial emissions (Norilsk, Novokuznetsk, etc.) and transport emissions (Moscow, Yekaterinburg, etc.); 2) emissions of mostly unidentified sources of pollution (Selenginsk, Zima, etc.); 3) high natural potential of atmospheric pollution (Neryungri, Chita, etc.); 4) “import” of pollution from external sources due to an unfavorable ecological and geographical location (Minusinsk, Yasnaya Polyana, etc.). Possible mutual influences of environmental situation in cities and regional development have been considered.