Elemental sulfur in the brine of Lake Doroninskoe (Eastern Transbaikalia)

The concentration of elemental sulfur (S⁰) in the upper oxic layer of the meromictic (stratified by water mineralization) soda Lake Doroninskoe (about 5.5 m depth) varied in the survey periods from the detection limit (0.002 mg/l) to the registered maximum of 0.444 mg/l, with an average value of 0.12 mg/l. In the lower hydrosulfide layer, these concentrations amounted to 0.012–1.88 mg/l. The results obtained point to the processes of sulfide sulfur oxidation under reductive conditions, and of sulfate reduction to form hydrogen sulfide in the oxic medium. The dynamics of the seasonal S⁰-thiosulfate ratio testifies to the dual (oxidative and reductive) nature of the latter.