Present status of water chemistry and acidification under nonpoint sources of pollution across European Russia and West Siberia

T I Moiseenko,T A Kremleva,M I Dinu,V Y Khoroshavin,V Jones,N A Gashkina

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aae268

Abstract

Acidic deposition has caused severe surface water acidification in Europe and North America, but surface water acidification has not been systematically studied in Russia. Here we present the first detailed study on regional surface water acidification in European Russia (ER) and Western Siberia (WS) based on a survey of 367 lakes in a transect from the tundra to the steppe, which were investigated to explore the status and mechanism of surface water acidification. The variability of water chemistry is documented and discussed. High pH and acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) were observed for lakes in the southern region, indicating that surface water acidification does not occur here. Anthropogenic acidification occurs in the humid areas of both regions, being observed in 4.4% of ER and 8.2% of WS lakes. These tundra and taiga lakes are characterized by high transparency, low pH, and ANC with a high concentration of strong acid anions. The main factor leading to acidification in the ER lakes is sulfur emission from metal smelters whilst that in WS is acidification, likely associated with gas burning by oil production facilities. In the ER acid lakes, SO42− is dominant; this is in contrast to WS, where NO3− and Cl− are dominate. The influence of strong technogenic acids on the structure of organic components and their possibility to form a proton is discussed. The phenomenon of the increase in water acidification by organic acids and strong acids is explained. These results clearly show the effect of a number of factors that strengthen the acidity of water. Differences in the chemical composition of lakes of both regions, as well as differentiation by their acid properties, were statistically proved. Results of our research indicate the need to reduce emissions of acidic gases into the atmosphere.

Highlights

From the middle of the last century, the burning of fossil fuels has led to acid rain and the acidification of water bodies in some regions of Europe and North America (Henriksen et al 1992, Kvaeven et al 2001, Driscoll et al 2003)
Water geochemistry and anthropogenic impacts The main geochemical feature of both regions is an increase in cations and alkalinity concentrations in water toward the south and an increase in the content of mineral salts
Watersheds are characterized by natural salinization (Starikov and Tul’kova 2010), and the higher temperatures promote intensive evaporation, which results in an increase in the concentration of salts

Summary

Introduction

From the middle of the last century, the burning of fossil fuels has led to acid rain and the acidification of water bodies in some regions of Europe and North America (Henriksen et al 1992, Kvaeven et al 2001, Driscoll et al 2003). Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions have declined in Europe and North America, as well as in Russia, and some authors have shown evidence for recovery trends in lakes and rivers (Stoddard et al 1999, Evans et al 2001, Skelkvale et al 2005, Garmo et al 2014, Strock et al 2014). The problem of water acidification continues in the current century (Nakahara et al 2010, Mitchell and Likens 2011, Moiseenko and Gashkina 2011, Reitzel et al 2013, Wang et al 2014, Yu et al 2017).

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Conclusion