Expedition to collect samples of the snow cover in the South Baikal region

Within the state assignment “Investigation of the role of atmospheric fallout on water and terrestrial ecosystems of the Baikal Basin, identification of sources of atmospheric pollution” (0279-2021-0014) (led by T.V. Khodzher), an expedition to collect samples of the snow cover in the South Baikal region was carried out on February 14-17. Snow samples were collected along the Angara River valley from Irkutsk to Listvyanka, in the upper reaches and mouths of small tributaries of the lake flowing through the Listvyanka settlement, in the forest area of the Bolshiye Koty settlement.

For the first time in the South Baikal water area, detailed snow sampling was carried out on five transects from the western to the eastern shore and along the western and eastern shores. The sampling was accompanied by measurements of the thickness of the ice along the entire route of the vehicle on the lake ice. For this purpose, an electronic ice thickness measuring device (Ikor-ice, Russia) was used.

The collected snow samples (60 pieces) will be analyzed for a wide range of pollutant impurities of organic and inorganic origin in order to assess the contribution of natural and anthropogenic sources to the atmospheric pollution of South Baikal in the winter period 2023-2024.