Expedition on board the RV “Vereshchagin” from 05 to 15 September 2022

From 05 to 15 September 2022, the expeditionary works were carried out on board the RV “Vereshchagin” to study the ecological condition of the coastal and pelagic zones of Lake Baikal within the State Assignments «From cell to ecosystem: Study of the role of changing physicochemical and biogeochemical parameters in the littoral and pelagic zones of Lake Baikal», (project № 0279-2021-0008) (directed by Likhoshway Ye.V.) and “Studies of the influence of atmospheric precipitation onto water and land ecosystems of Lake Baikal, identification of atmosphere pollution sources” (project № 0279-2021-0014) (directed by T. Khodzher).

The expedition was aimed to study the correlation “from cell to ecosystem” and the influence of physico-chemical, biogeochemical, anthropogenic factors on the main indicator organisms that characterize the state of the Lake Baikal ecosystem.

Algological, hydrochemical, geochemical, and microbiological works as well as light microscopy and microphotography were carried out.

Within the expedition, 92 water samples were taken to determine TOC, pH, concentration of O2 and EC, hydrochemical and geochemical parameters. 74 water samples, 12 net samples, and 15 phytobenthos samples were collected to determine species and quantitative composition of phytoplankton. 38 water samples and 35 samples for total DNA isolation of microeukaryotes and bacteria were studied to determine the total number of bacteria, cultured heterotrophs, and the composition of sanitary-indicatory and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria.

The fieldworks were carried out in the littoral and pelagic zones of Southern Baikal opposite the towns of Baikalsk and Slyudyanka in the area of the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) discharges; In Middle Baikal opposite the tourist centers of the settlement of Maksimikha in Barguzinsky Bay, opposite the Ushkany Islands in the area of rookery of seals and Nerpa Center, in the area of the Zmeinaya Bay thermal springs in Chivyrkuisky Bay; in Northern Baikal opposite the town of Severobaikalsk in the area of WWTP discharges.