Environmental Quality Assessment Research Articles

Analysis of ecological environment quality heterogeneity across different landform types in Myanmar and its driving forces

Ecological Environmental Quality (EEQ) assessment is a crucial method for understanding regional ecological conditions and identifying ecological problems. Understanding how EEQ responds to various natural and anthropogenic factors under different landform conditions is extremely important to improve the accuracy and usefulness of the assessment. Landforms, as a key natural geographic element, influence not only the spatial distribution of EEQ, but also the nature and intensity of human activities. However, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how different landform types affect the ecological environment. In this paper, we quantitatively assessed the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of EEQ in Myanmar based on the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) model, and used Geodetector to reveal the driving mechanisms of EEQ in terms of the whole region and specific landform types. The results showed that: (1) The overall EEQ in Myanmar showed a fluctuating downward trend from 2000 to 2020, and the spatial heterogeneity is obvious. The plains and hills had poor EEQ, while the mountains, highlands and most of the northern regions have better EEQ. (2) The EEQ of different landform types differed significantly. The EEQ was best in middle relief mountains and poorer in plains and high relief mountains. (3) Land use, human footprint and net primary productivity (NPP) were the main factors affecting EEQ in Myanmar, and there are significant spatial and temporal dynamic interactions between different factors. (4) There were significant differences in the factors affecting EEQ between landform types. For example, EEQ in plains, hills, low relief mountains, and middle relief mountains was influenced by a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. In contrast, upland mountain areas were mainly influenced by natural factors alone. As the degree of landform fluctuation increases, the influence of each factor generally showed a downward trend. This study reveals the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of Myanmar’s EEQ, key driving factors, and differential response mechanisms of ecological environment evolution under different landform types, and provides a scientific basis for formulating ecosystem protection and restoration strategies based on local conditions.

Toward configuring healthier classrooms: developing indoor environmental quality assessment indicators

ABSTRACT Classrooms serve as essential indoor environments for students, as they spend a significant portion of their developmental years within them. This has prompted a critical set of questioning of these indoor environments, presenting the emergence of understanding how they affect health and comfort, as well as the importance of assessing these effects. Currently, one of the most advantageous methods of assessment is the Green building Rating Tools (GBRTs). There is an abundance of rating tools that aid in assessing the performance of many types of buildings’ Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). However, maintaining a healthy classroom environment (HCE) necessitates the integration of health and comfort aspects alongside any classroom assessment process. Thus, the primary aim of the current research was to identify the definition of HCE attributes. Moreover, the research aims to detect areas that are yet to be considered or need more attention of the current IEQ assessment indicators, regarding promoting and assessing any classroom environmental healthiness. This was done by revisiting and delving into the IEQ-health-comfort relation, and, moreover, analyzing the attributes which verify the healthiness of a classroom environment and indicators which are traditionally employed to assess IEQ within existing rating systems. A comparative analysis methodology was used to identify key indicators, commons and correlations, in order to determine the extent of compatibility and differences. This analysis has resulted in a new list of 60 composite assessment indicators that concentrate on the health and comfort aspects, referred to as HCE indicators, a step toward healthier classrooms.

Assessment of Environmental quality and Environmental Damage due to oil spill accident at Oil India, Tinsukia, Assam and Scope for Environmental Compensation

Assessment of Environmental quality and Environmental Damage due to oil spill accident at Oil India, Tinsukia, Assam and Scope for Environmental Compensation

Indoor environmental quality assessment in passively ventilated classrooms in Germany and estimation of ventilation energy losses

In this field study we present an approach for the comprehensive and room-specific assessment of parameters with the overall aim to realize energy-efficient provision of hygienically harmless and thermally comfortable indoor environmental quality in naturally ventilated non-residential buildings. The approach is based on (i) conformity assessment of room design parameters, (ii) empirical determination of theoretically expected occupant-specific supply air flow rates and corresponding air exchange rates, (iii) experimental determination of real occupant-specific supply air flow rates and corresponding air exchange rates, (iv) measurement of indoor environmental exposure conditions of T, RH, cCO2, cPM2.5 and cTVOC, and (v) determination of real energy demands for the prevailing ventilation scheme. Underlying assessment criteria comprise the indoor environmental parameters of category II of EN 16798-1: Temperature T = 20 °C–24 °C, and relative humidity RH = 25 %–60 % as well as the guide values of the German Federal Environment Agency for cCO2cPM2.5 and cTVOC of 1000 ppm, 15 μg m−3, and 1 mg m−3, respectively.Investigation objects are six naturally ventilated classrooms of a German secondary school. Major factors influencing indoor environmental quality in these classrooms are the specific room volume per occupant and the window opening area. It is concluded that the rigorous implementation of ventilation recommendations laid down by the German Federal Environment Agency is ineffective with respect to anticipated indoor environmental parameters and inefficient with respect to ventilation energy losses on the order of about 10 kWh m−2 a−1 to 30 kWh m−2 a−1.

Assessing ecosystem resilience: effects of different environments on native flora, lichens and bee pollen in a mid-sized Brazilian city

Abstract The alteration of the natural environment by human activities has increased in recent decades, with a significant impact on the organisms that inhabit it. One of the most apparent consequences of environmental alterations is the occurrence of climatic changes. The city of Joinville is situated in the southern region of Brazil. It has achieved a notable position at the national level, largely due to the significant presence of large-scale industrial operations in the metal-mechanical, plastic, and textile sectors. This study aimed to assess the effects of urban environments on Nectandra oppositifolia plants and lichen communities using a passive biomonitoring approach, and on Tetragonisca angustula stingless bees using an active biomonitoring approach. This study demonstrated a pronounced effect of anthropogenic activities on plant anatomy and morphology (higher leaf area, fresh mass, dry mass, and water content in the urban-industrial site), with higher metal concentrations in leaf particulate matter (3.14 ± 0.4 μg cm−2). The diversity of lichens was the lowest, whereas that of crustose lichens was the highest in industrial-urban and residential-rural sites (industrial-urban site = 13 species, residential-rural site = 29 species, control site = 33 species, p < 0.05). The distribution of species within the lichen communities was inversely correlated with the degree of anthropogenic influence. Some lichen species were found exclusively in the control areas, suggesting that they may indicate good environmental quality (Arthonia sp., Astrothelium sp., Phyllopsora pyxinoides, Phyllopsis sp., and others). Beehive pollen analysis revealed the presence of Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb, and industrial-urban site exhibited higher metal concentrations (particularly, Ni, 12.59 ± 0.9, and Cr, 3.76 ± 1.00, mg kg−1). This approach highlights the environmental repercussions that affect the Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia kingdoms. The use of biomonitoring as a robust tool in good environmental quality assessment provides insight into policy decisions and underscores the importance of pollution studies.

Pollution and Potential Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Water Bodies in the Vicinity of Industrial Zones

This research was undertaken to determine the concentrations of heavy metal ions in the surface water and sediment in water bodies that receive wastewater from the Dinh Tram and Pho Noi A industrial zones. The pollution status of the heavy metal ions and their potential ecological risks were evaluated by using the potential ecological risk index (RI) and risk assessment code (RAC). The results showed that some metal ions, namely Fe3+, Ni2+, and Pb2+, exceeded the allowed standards of QCVN 08:2023/BTNMT. The sediments were polluted by Zn2+, As2+, Cr6+, and Fe3+ at concentrations 2.4, 3.7, 1.9, and 2.0 times higher, respectively, than the QCVN 43:2017/BTNMT. The potential ecological risk indices for the heavy metal ions were in order as: (As2+) = 7.94 > (Cd2+) = 3.68 > (Cr6+) = 3.39 > (Pb2+) = 2.73 > (Cu2+) = 2.74 > (Zn2+) = 2.4 (T6 channel) and (As2+) = 11.1 > (Cd2+) = 7.74 > (Cu2+) = 2.64 > (Cr6+) = 2.31 > (Pb2+) = 1.9 > (Zn2+) = 0.87 (Bun River). The risk assessment code (RAC) ranged from 0.17 to 39.42 (T6 channel) and from 0.03 to 38.96 (Bun River). The RAC-based risk assessment results showed that both the T6 channel and Bun River presented a medium risk for Cd2+, a low risk for Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+, and no risk for the remaining metals, Cr6+, Pb2+, As2+, and Fe3+. These results were caused by the differences in environmental quality assessments between using separate parameters versus biological risk assessments.

Ecological-economic assessment of environmental quality as a natural basis for territorial sustainable development: conceptual-categorical analysis

In the context of growing global problems of resource using and environmental protection the development of a sustainable environmental-economic development strategy, including at the territorial level is becoming increasingly actual. The purpose of the research is conceptual-categorical analysis of ecological-economic assessment of environmental quality as a natural basis for territorial systems of different levels sustainable development, elaboration and justification of the conceptual assessment model and methods of its implementation. Methodological issues focus on how to comprehensively assess the environmental quality of the territory and how this assessment can be taken into account in the formation of a strategy for environmentally sustainable development of spatial-economic systems. The scientific novelty of the research results lies in the consolidation of the theories of territorial development sustainability and environmental quality environmental-economic assessment in the conceptual model, as well as in the substantiation of tools for quantitative measurement of environmental quality, increasing the accuracy and reliability of the obtained environmental-economic assessments. The significance of the research results lies in providing decision-makers with comprehensive information on the long-term consequences of environmental-economic decisions and facilitating the transition to environmentally sustainable economic development of territories. This information can be obtained as a result of systematic application of multi-dimensional environmental-economic assessment tools that take into account not only the full socio-economic value of natural environmental resources, but also the spatial characteristics of territories.

Analisis Kualitas Air Embung Bendo, Mayangkawis dan Babo dengan Peruntukan Wisata dan Pertanian di Kabupaten Bojonegoro

With the potential of the agricultural sector, Bojonegoro Regency certainly requires an abundant supply of clean water. To overcome this problem, the Bojonegoro Regency Government built reservoirs to protect clean water supply in several areas in Bojonegoro Regency. The utilization of existing embung in Bojonegoro is not limited to agriculture only, but also as a tourist spot. To date, there has been no research assessing the quality of water in reservoirs. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the water quality in three reservoirs located in Bojonegoro. This study employs qualitative analysis derived from the environmental laboratory water quality assessments conducted by Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Kabupaten Bojonegoro. The findings from the water analyses of Embung Bendo, Embung Mayangkawis, and Embung Babo reveal distinct conditions among the three locations. These variations are attributed to differing environmental factors that influence each site uniquely.

Assessment of Urban Environmental Quality by Socioeconomic and Environmental Variables Using Open‐Source Datasets

ABSTRACTIn this era of rapid development, environmental quality is an essential aspect of sustainable development. A healthy urban environment supports, regulates, and provides livable conditions. In urban areas, environmental quality is considerably affected by socioeconomic factors such as population expansion and economic development. For decision‐making, it is also significant for stakeholders and policymakers to understand the impact of urban expansion on environmental quality. While previous studies have examined urban environmental quality, they often focused on single cities or limited environmental parameters. This research addresses these limitations by conducting a comparative analysis of two major Asian cities with similar demographic features, utilizing a comprehensive set of socioeconomic and environmental variables. Our innovative approach combines open‐source datasets with advanced remote sensing techniques to provide a more holistic assessment of urban environmental quality over two decades. We analyzed urban environmental quality for last two decades with the selected urban environmental quality parameters: surface greenness, surface moisture, and land surface temperature. Lahore (Pakistan) and Wuhan (China) cities were selected for having approximately same demographic features. Correlation matrix has been used to assess the relationship between these environmental variables and social‐economic variables: urban expansion and carbon emission. Correlation coefficient indicated that urban expansion correlates negatively with surface greenness and surface moisture for both Lahore (−0.67 and −0.71) and Wuhan District (−0.5 and −0.75), respectively, while it had a positive relation with land surface temperature: 0.65 and 0.57 for Lahore and Wuhan District, respectively. These effects are more prominent within 10 km distance from the city center, where a substantial urban expansion is observed during the time window.

Perspectives on Advancing Multimodal Learning in Environmental Science and Engineering Studies.

The environment faces increasing anthropogenic impacts, resulting in a rapid increase in environmental issues that undermine the natural capital essential for human wellbeing. These issues are complex and often influenced by various factors represented by data with different modalities. While machine learning (ML) provides data-driven tools for addressing the environmental issues, the current ML models in environmental science and engineering (ES&E) often neglect the utilization of multimodal data. With the advancement in deep learning, multimodal learning (MML) holds promise for comprehensive descriptions of the environmental issues by harnessing data from diverse modalities. This advancement has the potential to significantly elevate the accuracy and robustness of prediction models in ES&E studies, providing enhanced solutions for various environmental modeling tasks. This perspective summarizes MML methodologies and proposes potential applications of MML models in ES&E studies, including environmental quality assessment, prediction of chemical hazards, and optimization of pollution control techniques. Additionally, we discuss the challenges associated with implementing MML in ES&E and propose future research directions in this domain.

Understanding the attractiveness of types of historic districts in Bandung: implementing heritage conservation based on public perception

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage conceptually addresses the conservation of physical and non-physical dimensions. Heritage conservation generally intends to create pleasant spatial experiences and socio-culturally friendly living environments while accommodating contemporary needs. Conservation frameworks for protecting urban fabric driven by physical authenticity and expert judgment need to pay increased attention to public-based assessment experiences to improve people’s perspectives on the quality of urban historic areas. The notions of inclusive conservation posit that community understanding is essential for appreciating historic urban areas due to various social, cultural, historical, and political conditions. According to public narratives and perspectives, this study describes the types of urban historic districts perceived as attractive. The investigation uses the qualitative method to analyze data from 170 participants obtained through an online questionnaire and content analysis methods with open, axial, and selective coding. The findings reveal that from the public perspective of environmental quality assessment, historic districts are categorized under three types according to attractiveness. Three types of historic areas are vibrant, relaxing, and dull districts. As such, the study emphasizes the importance of human sensory experience in urban planning and design and its consequences for urban heritage conservation.

Crowdsourced data as a strategic approach to include the human dimension in outdoor environmental quality assessments

Outdoor environments extend living spaces as venues for various activities. Comfortable open public spaces can positively impact citizens' health and well-being, thereby improving the livability and resilience of cities. Considering the visitors' perception of these environments in comfort studies is crucial for ensuring their well-being and promoting the use of these spaces. However, traditional survey methods may be time- and resource-consuming to gather significant sample sizes, usually focusing on selected homogeneous samples. Crowdsourced data, then, has emerged as an alternative for assessing human perception, as it eases the collection of subjective feedback and potentially amplifies impact and inclusivity. This study presents a strategic approach for analyzing publicly available and willingly reported crowdsourced data from a digital mapping platform in outdoor comfort evaluations, aiming to verify whether these data are informative regarding environmental quality perception and to identify the environmental factors that people are most sensitive to. Urban parks located in New York City served as a case study. A multi-source, interdisciplinary information framework combined crowdsourced reviews with environmental data used to determine prevailing thermal conditions. Overall perception of parks was well-rated, revealing that their attractions and activities are probably the most appealing characteristics for park attendance. Regarding environmental perception, acoustic and thermal factors are clearly the most influential. Acoustics were well-rated, while the main aspect regarding the thermal domain is the recognition of shading as a mitigator for hot conditions. Environmental data provided complementary insights, particularly concerning the range of thermal sensations experienced in urban parks. The findings confirm that willingly reported crowdsourced data can provide valuable insights into urban crowd environmental perception, presenting a potentially suitable and effective method to include the human perspective in environmental quality assessments, as well as to evaluate and predict environmental-related risks.

Nanobiosensors based on tyrosinase with alkanethiols for detection commercial formulation of atrazine in artesian water samples applied in agriculture crop

This study aims to develop cantilever nanobiosensors functionalized with commercial tyrosinase enzymes and alkanethiols for the detection of a commercial formulation of atrazine in artesian water samples used in agricultural crops. Functionalization was carried out using the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) technique with different alkanethiols, namely, 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (16-MHDA) and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA), in conjunction with commercial tyrosinase enzymes. Surface characterization techniques confirm the successful deposition of the sensing layer. The nanobiosensors exhibited the capability to detect various concentrations of atrazine in water, achieving high sensitivity with detection and quantification limits in the µg/L range, while maintaining 100 % reversibility. The enzyme retained 87 % and 80 % of its activity when immobilized on 16-MHDA and 11-MUA linkages, respectively. The response of cantilever nanobiosensors was stable after 13 min, with deflection values showing a direct proportional relationship with atrazine concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 100 µg/L. Both cantilever nanobiosensors demonstrated promising responses, with 11-MUA differing statistically (P<0.05) from 16-MHDA. The rapid detection of commercial atrazine was successfully conducted in real water samples collected directly during its application in crop fields. Consequently, the developed devices hold significant potential for practical use in the detection of atrazine in water, contributing to assessments of environmental quality.

On the role of water balance as a prerequisite for aquatic and wetland ecosystems management: A case study of the Biebrza catchment, Poland

Water balance quantifies the inflows and outflows in a river basin, crucial for assessing the water resources of a given area. Quantified water balance should therefore be the key step in environmental quality assessment. However, due to the lack of data on reasonable spatiotemporal scales and quality, water balance studies are scarce. The aim of the paper was to provide a water balance analysis as a prerequisite for aquatic and wetland ecosystems management in the Biebrza Valley, Poland. A Penck-Oppokov method was used to assess the annual water balance, and runoff coefficient for 1951–2021. Data were extracted for the daily simulated dataset of Poland. The average annual water balance of the Biebrza basin encompassed of 561 mm of precipitation, 485 mm of evapotranspiration, 101 mm of runoff, and −25 mm of water retention. Analysis of 17 sub-basins indicated a declining tendency in water resources over the study period. The average runoff coefficient in the Biebrza basins is equal to 0.17. Findings presented here indicate that the significant deficit in the water balance in the region is highly unlikely to be compensated by the course of natural hydrological processes. This reveals the need for quick actions oriented at improvement of water balance by reducing the runoff and evapotranspiration. The study provides convincing evidence that if the observed tendencies of water balance elements are continued, the reinstallation of spatially distributed, abundant measures of increasing water retention may be the only way to assure the appropriate ecological status of aquatic and wetland ecosystems.

Long-Term Ecological and Environmental Quality Assessment Using an Improved Remote-Sensing Ecological Index (IRSEI): A Case Study of Hangzhou City, China

Long-Term Ecological and Environmental Quality Assessment Using an Improved Remote-Sensing Ecological Index (IRSEI): A Case Study of Hangzhou City, China

Editorial: Coastal environmental quality and marine biodiversity assessment, volume II

Editorial: Coastal environmental quality and marine biodiversity assessment, volume II

Cyanobacteria mediate the dissemination of bacterial antibiotic resistance through conjugal transfer

Cyanobacterial blooms are expanding world-wide in freshwater and marine environments, and can cause serious ecological and environmental issues, which also contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, the mechanistic understanding of cyanobacteria-mediated resistance dynamics is not fully elucidated yet. We selected Microcystis aeruginosa as a model cyanobacteria to illustrate how cyanobacteria mediate the evolution and transfer processes of bacterial antibiotic resistance. The results show that the presence of cyanobacteria significantly decreased the abundance of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) by 3%–99% and 2%–18%, respectively. In addition, it clearly altered bacterial community structure, with the dominant genera evolving from Acinetobacter (27%) and Enterobacter (42%) to Porphyrobacter (59%). The abundance of ARGs positively correlated with Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, rather than Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. In the presence of cyanobacteria, the transfer events of bacterial resistance genes via conjugation were found to decrease by 10%–89% (p < 0.05). Surprisingly, we found an extradentary high transfer frequency (about 0.1) for the ARGs via plasmid conjugation from the bacteria into M. aeruginosa population. It confirmed the role of cyanobacterial population as the competent hosts to facilitate ARGs spreading. Our findings provide valuable information on the risk evaluation of ARGs caused by cyanobacterial blooms in aquatic environments, key for the protection and assessment of aquatic environmental quality.

Evolution and prediction of rural ecological environment quality in eastern coastal area of China

Introduction: Rural ecological environment construction, as a pivotal component of the rural revitalization strategy and ecological civilization construction strategy, plays an indispensable role in promoting sustainable agricultural development and safeguarding ecological security. An accurate assessment and prediction of Rural Ecological Environment Quality (REEQ) serves as the theoretical basis to achieving these goals, and provide scientific guidance for future rural ecological environment construction and planning. The field of regional ecology, proposed in the mid-20th century, represents an emerging interdisciplinary domain that integrates ecology, geography, and economics. It plays a pivotal role in addressing large-scale ecological challenges and fostering social sustainability. As global urbanization continues to advance, urban ecological environments undergo significant transformations under the pressures of intense human activities. Scholars have increasingly focused on the essence, evolutionary patterns, and causal mechanisms shaping urban ecological environment quality. Consequently, ecological environment assessments have evolved from singular pollution evaluations to comprehensive ecological appraisals. However, coastal rural area with complex geographical conditions and fragile ecological environments are often neglected and marginalized. Currently, there are few specialized evaluation systems for REEQ, making it difficult to accurately reveal the evolution pattern of rural ecological environment. This weakens its guidance on practical rural ecological environment governance and restoration.Methods: The Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model can simplify the identification process of driving factors for REEQ, reflect the feedback mechanism between indicators, and is conducive to scientific and accurate evaluation of REEQ. Therefore, we constructed an evaluation index system for REEQ based on the PSR. We measured REEQ in the eastern coastal area of China, analyzed its spatiotemporal characteristics and development trends, and used the obstacle degree model to identify obstacle factors. It is beneficial for rural areas to grasp the evolution laws of REEQ, provide theoretical basis for the formulation of sustainable development policies, and provide scientific policy recommendations.Results: Our findings indicate that: 1) From 2000 to 2020, REEQ in the eastern coastal area of China has continuously improved, with the index value increasing from 0.454 to 0.525, a total growth of 15.64%. The number of high-level REEQ areas increased from 0 to 29, showing a positive development trend. 2) High-density areas of REEQ in the eastern coastal area of China are concentrated in the northern parts of Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. The center of REEQ has shifted from the southwest to the northeast. 3) The obstacle degrees of various criteria layers in REEQ are relatively stable, with the response subsystem being the highest, followed by the state and pressure subsystems. Forest coverage, per capita grain production, effective irrigation rate of farmland, afforestation area in the current year, per capita disposable income of rural residents, and per capita mechanical power of farmers are the main obstacle indicators. 4) From 2020 to 2035, REEQ in the eastern coastal area of China will continue to improve. The standard deviation ellipse will move towards the northwest, the center will shift from the southwest to the northeast, the rotation angle will slowly decrease, showing a northwestward trend.

Geoecological monitoring during mining operations

In recent decades environmental quality assessment has become a fundamentally important task in the operation of mining enterprises. This assessment becomes an integral part of the strategy for determining maximum permissible loads for mining regions and is aimed at reducing geoecological risk in them. Technological processes of mining and processing plants generate emissions of various pollutants into the atmospheric air, lead to violation of adjacent territories. Monitoring, primarily of atmospheric air and soils, is necessary to ensure the ecological balance of such territories. Lebedinsky Mining and Processing Plant is one of the most significant sources of gas and dust emissions from massive explosions in quarries during ore extraction, which form a large dust and gas cloud, creating a risk of deterioration of the life of the population in the surrounding area. The article examines the main pollutants in soils and in the atmospheric air during mass explosions, and determines the areole of their distribution from the work site. The forecast of an increase in the concentrations of detected harmful substances for the next 50 years is given. A methodology for conducting geoecological monitoring during mining operations is proposed. The research results may be useful in assessing geoecological risks and developing measures to reduce them.

The state of planktonic and benthic communities of the skerry region of Lake Ladoga near fish farms

The aim of this work is to assess the impact of trout farms on the ecological state of a freshwater body (Lake Ladoga) using hydrobiological parameters.The main methods of the study were sampling and processing of bacterioplankton, zooplankton, benthos; calculation of abundance and biomass of hydrobionts; analysis of taxonomic structure, species determinations, following standard procedures used in hydrobiology.As a result, a change in the quantitative development of bacterioand zooplankton, macroand meiobenthos communities, change in structure, simplification of taxonomic composition, decrease in species richness, appearance of species-indicators of toxic pollution in zooplankton and benthos communities under cages in the zones of influence of trout farms was revealed. Differences in the degree of severity of negative impact at the studied farms were noted, which can be attributed to the hydrodynamic factor, since one of the farms is located in conditions of greater flow compared to the other. Environmental quality assessment of planktonic and benthic communities showed the presence of negative impact of trout farms, the extent of which depends on the location of the farm and the degree of flow in the water area where the cages are located.