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Content archived on 2022-12-23

Anthropogenic impact and aquatic ecosystem health of Lake Baikal

Objective



At a recent workshop on the health of Lake Baikal, an international group of scientists advocating continuous monitoring of the lake ecosystem was very worried that efforts to maintain the health of the lake may be reduced as a consequence of the economic difficulties of the present transitional period in Russia. Rather than reducing these efforts, further steps in the direction of more sophisticated analytical techniques, now available and being used in other great lakes, need to be implemented. The maintenance of the pristine condition of Lake Baikal is a regional, national and international duty. Other great lakes in the world have been subject to great anthropogenic stress and their restoration is now being attempted at very great expense.

The global heritage of Lake Baikal is still relatively intact and constitutes an international reference point. Owing to increasing local air pollution, the long-range transport of pollutants generated elsewhere, and the foreseen increase in pollutants reaching the lake via rivers, extremely careful control activities in the hydrographic basin and continuous monitoring of lake water should be performed. Because of the peculiar ecosystem of the Baikal area, it is impossible to extrapolate results and conclusions from previous experience of other lakes of similar or slightly smaller size, and therefore an ad hoc research project needs to be organised.

The aim of this project is to evaluate the levels of persistent contaminants in several areas of Lake Baikal, with particular emphasis on those contaminants with relevant ecological impact, in order to give some indications for the maintenance of the integrity of the lake. So far, the health of the ecosystem of Lake Baikal has not been studied extensively. The results of this project may prove that this remote lake has a better condition than many lakes elsewhere and may, therefore, have the function as a reference point.

The chemical and biological monitoring of water, sediment, flora and fauna obtained from several areas of Lake Baikal and analytical comparison of the results obtained on heavy metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons will provide information on the number of hot spots of contaminants in the lake; the locations of hot spots of contaminants in the lake; the size of the contaminated areas concerned; and the biological half-life of the most persistent contaminants.

A comprehensive review of all activities, results, comments and advice will be provided to the Russian authorities and to other bodies in western Europe and the NIS.

Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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Coordinator

Università degli Studi di Siena
EU contribution
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Address
Via delle Cerchia 3
53100 Siena
Italy

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Total cost
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Participants (6)