Typification and the Current State of Baikal Lake Shore

Water Resources - The major shore-forming factors typical of Lake Baikal, the main types and subtypes of lake shore, and their current state are considered. The complex geological structure has...     

贝加尔湖的污染与富营养化

The long term systematic investigations of ion composition components (bicarbonates, chlorides, sulphates, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium) and trophic status components (suspension, chlorophyll-a, mineral and organic forms phosphorus and nitrogen, carbon, silica) of water from the lake proper, its tributaries and atmospheric precipitation, which make up the main share of substance supply in to the lake, as well as the Angara river, being the source of substance discharge allowed the lake recent state to be evaluated in terms of both chemical pollution and possible eutrophication of its water. The similar (in terms of river runojf) periods of 50-ies and 80-ies have been compared. It was revealed that as a result of industrial activity 409 thousand tons of mineral substances (27.2 thousand tons of chlorides, 162 thousand tons of sulphates and over 200 thousand tons of organic substances) are supplied in the lake annually. The supply of substances of the anthropogenic origin is higher for the South Baikal than that for the North and Middle Baikal (the sum of mineral substances in 3.6 times; sulphates in 5 times, organic substances, including hydrocarbons in 7 times).The absence of abundant phytoplankton in the period studied when the ratio of silica to phosphorus is optimum (over 100), as well as a revers correlation between winter nitrogen content and spring of chlorophyll-a concentration in the Baikal water and revers dependence between the suspension and chlorophyll-a along the Selenga river valley lead to the conclusion that Baikal water contains toxicants. It is verified by the presence of polychlorbiphenyls (PCB), poly-chlordibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) for the whole food web with the maximum PCDD/PCDF (TEQ to 175 P g · g^-1) concentration in the seal blubber. The levels are comparable with those reported for ringed seal (phoca hispida), living in the Baltic sea and Bar-row Strait Inlet in the Canadian Arctic.     

Anomalies of the natural electric field on Lake Baikal

The paper presents results of observations of the electromagnetic field conducted on the ice and coast of Lake Baikal. The horizontal and vertical components of the electric field contain anomalous disturbances coinciding in time with earthquakes and with the origination of a crevice in the ice cover of the lake. A possible origin of the anomalous disturbances is considered.     

Oil Products in Lake Baikal and Its Tributaries

Water Resources - The results of studying present-day oil product concentrations in water of Baikal and its tributaries are given. The highest concentrations of oil products have been identified in...     

Methane in Water and Bottom Sediments of Lake Baikal

Water Resources - The distribution of methane concentration measured in 2014 and 2015 in different parts of Lake Baikal has been analyzed. In the period of expedition studies, methane concentration...     

Trend Analysis of Hydro-Climatic Variables in Lake Baikal Basin

Water Resources - This study used the Innovative trend analysis method, Mann-Kendall, and Sen’s slope estimator test to investigate the mean annual precipitation, annual mean air temperature,...     

Numerical simulation of water exchange processes in Lake Baikal

A review of the study of water exchange processes in Lake Baikal is given. The major attention is given to the mathematical simulation of the processes of density stratification processes and the effect of different hydrophysical factors on water exchange processes, in particular, the formation of thermobar and vertical circulations in the lake.     

Magnetofossils in the sediment of Lake Baikal, Siberia

A multidisciplinary approach involving rock-magnetics, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction was used to identify a biogenic magnetite component in the Lake Baikal, Siberia, sedimentary magnetic record. The distinctive biogenic component to the magnetic record occurs as chains of single-domain, elongate hexagonal and tear-drop cone-shaped magnetite particles. These magnetofossils are inferred to be magnetosomes produced by magnetotactic bacteria living in the surficial sediment throughout Lake Baikal. Postdepositional reduction diagenesis results in the loss of the fine-grained magnetofossils at depth. In addition, this study shows that the fine-grained magnetofossils are removed by the process of storage diagenesis during long periods (21 months) of core storage, which results in a change to a coarser grained, slightly higher coercivity bulk magnetic mineral assemblage. Although the Lake Baikal sedimentary magnetic record has several distinct and complex components, by determining their origin this study has shown that the sediments are well suited for environmental magnetic study.     

Influence of Biogenous Elements on Components of the Lake Baikal Plankton Community

Fertilization experiments in mesocosms of 1 … 2,000 1 containing up to 0.32 mg/l P and 1.7 mg/l N in summer and in winter did not show any significant changes of the hydrochemical conditions and in the bacterio-plankton. CO₂-assimilation (14-C method) is reduced by circa 10= by nutrient doses, whereas the chlorophyll concentration increases significantly due to addition of P and N at the same time in summer, a decrease taking place in winter. The different courses of development are connected with different reactions of individual species of phytoplankton.     

太湖梅梁湾水动力及相关过程的研究

太湖是位于长江下游的一个大型水湖泊,水动力过程和要素对浅水湖泊的环境演化有着复杂和深远的影响,本文基于１９９８年开展的有关太湖梅梁湾的水动力过程的野外调查结果,总结了梅梁湾在夏季盛行风向条件下湖流特征,发现了梅梁湾在夏季偏南风条件下,表层湖流以顺时针环流为主要特征,但在湾内靠近梁溪河口地区,流场受地形影响而有所不同,反映在叶绿素浓度和总磷、总氮浓度分布上,因受湖流影响较大而富集在梁溪河口周转,即偏     

Geoinformation Assessment of Regional Water Use in Lake Baikal Basin

A universal procedure is proposed for integral assessment of water management activity in a region based on geoinformation technology. The stages of study are described including the natural–economic zoning of the territory, ranking by the rate of total anthropogenic load on water objects and river basins, and the zoning of the territory to optimize the purpose-oriented use of water resources. A GIS of water use in Baikal basin, based on materials of federal statistical observation is presented. A system of measures is proposed for optimizing water use in zones of purpose-oriented water resources management.     

Interpretation of Measurement Results of the Potential Difference in Lake Baikal

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - A model is proposed in which the electrical voltage measured between the electrodes in Lake Baikal is a consequence of two effects: electrochemical processes near the...     

Lake Baikal and the Angara River before and after the Construction of Reservoirs

Variations in the regime of the Angara River flow fluctuations and in the components of the water balance of Lake Baikal are discussed.     

Recent changes in the spring microplankton of Lake Baikal,Russia

Lake Baikal is facing several environmental stressors, including climate change and nearshore eutrophication. To assess recent ecological changes in Lake Baikal and provide a baseline for future comparisons, we sampled spring plankton communities from the pelagic zone of the lake in 2016 and compared these data with unpublished and published historical information going back to 1990. In 2016, one pelagic long-term monitoring station was sampled in early spring (March) during ice cover and 21 long-term monitoring stations located throughout the lake were sampled in late spring (May-June). We measured water chemistry parameters at most stations and the abundance, taxonomic composition and biomass of bacteria, ciliates and phytoplankton at several locations in different areas of the lake. Biotic parameters from 2016 were compared with historical data, showing significant changes in the spring pelagic microbial community since the 1990s. We show increased quantities of small species, mixotrophic ciliates, and the appearance (or increasing number) of small coloured and colourless flagellates. We also show substantially decreased densities of formerly dominant heavily silicified diatoms such as Aulacoseira spp. Since 2007, Synedra acus subsp. radians, a smaller and weakly silicified diatom, has dominated the spring plankton of the lake. These results suggest that Lake Baikal’s pelagic plankton community may be changing, with climate likely playing a dominant role in these changes.     

Comparison of nearby earthquake records made on hard rock ground and on ice cover of Lake Baikal

The paper presents the main results of comparison between the records of four nearby earthquakes made on the ice cover of Lake Baikal and on the hard rock ground (seismic station located in Listvyanka settlement). Since the discovered differences between the records may be due to several factors—sedimentary cover, water medium, ice cover, interfaces between media, and microseisms—the experimental investigation and understanding the main regularities of seismic waves conversion will require the creation of a database of earthquakes recorded on the ice cover of the lake and statistical analysis of record processing results.     

Assessing the Effect of the Stochastic Structure of Inflow into Lake Baikal on the Long-Term Level Regime of the Lake

Water Resources - The statistical homogeneity of the total inflow into Lake Baikal have been analyzed. The periods of 1901–1933 and 1933–2014 have been found not only to show...     

The impact of faulting on the stability conditions of gas hydrates in Lake Baikal sediments

The phase transition problem of methane hydrate in porous sediments is solved. Based on the obtained solution, the impact of faulting on the stability conditions of gas hydrates is investigated by the numerical modeling of the filtration and thermal regimes in the sedimentary cover of the Central Basin of Lake Baikal within the segment of the anomalous behavior of the bottom simulating reflector (BSR). It is assumed that such behavior is caused by the tectonic action. The calculations testify to the plausibility of the proposed model of formation of the anomalous area with total decomposition of the contained hydrates. It is shown that dissociation of gas hydrates in sediments due to faulting and the subsequent uplift of the products of these transformations along the incipient channel toward the bottom of the lake can result in the extensive accumulation of gas hydrates on this surface. It is also shown that if the total amount of the free gas, which left the hydrate dissociation zone, reached the level of the lake surface at normal pressure and temperature, its volume could be equivalent to the resources of a medium-size gas field. The results of numerical modeling the violation of the gas-hydrate stability conditions in Lake Baikal sediments can also be valid for the other regions with hydrate-bearing sediments if the case specific conditions and regional tectonic activity are taken into account.     

Structure and Production Potential of Summer Phytoplankton of Lake Baikal in the Present Period

Water Resources - A study of the structure and production parameters of phytoplankton (biomass, photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll a content, and assimilation numbers) in the coastal and pelagic...