Expedition to Northern Baikal, February 10-16, 2020

The expedition within the framework of the program “Assessment and Forecast of Ecological State of Lake Baikal and Adjacent Territories under Conditions of Anthropogenic Impact and Climate Change” was carried out from February 10 to February 16, 2020, in Northern Baikal.

The aims of the expedition were as follows: to study dynamics of the chemical elements in the composition of the water in Northern Baikal in the winter; to analyze the chemical composition of water and snow cover in the water area of the Angara-Kichera shallow waters; to determine patterns of the distribution of atmospheric deposition in areas of Baikal Natural Territory with different anthropogenic pressure.

During the expedition, water samples were taken from the tributaries of Northern Baikal (the Upper Angara, the Kichera, the Kholodnaya, the Rel). Wastewater of the motive power depot, wastewater entering the sewage treatment plants of the Severobaikalsk town, and treated wastewater discharged into the Tyya River were sampled. To study the chemical composition of the coastal water in the lake, the water was sampled 4 km west of the Tyya estuary opposite the Zarechny settlement.

To study the processes of long-term pollution and obtain factual information about the chemical composition of atmospheric deposition, snow cover of Northern Baikal was sampled. It was also sampled along the route from the town of Baikalsk to the city of Irkutsk.