Lobachevsky University hydrobiologists conduct ecological monitoring of Nizhny Novgorod rivers
Researchers and students of the UNN Institute of Biology and Biomedicine (IBBM) take water samples on a regular basis from the estuary of the Oka River to perform a comprehensive analysis of water quality. Long-term studies will make it possible to assess the dynamics of pollution of rivers in the Nizhny Novgorod region and predict environmental risks in the near future.
“The project is unique in that monitoring will go on continuously throughout the year. It is expected that the observations will take several years. The key task of the project is to assess the contribution of the main Russian rivers to the pollution of the water bodies into which they flow. The Oka flows into the Volga, and the Volga is the main transit waterway of the European part of Russia, the main artery for the transport of all pollutants,” said Vyacheslav Zhikharev, a participant in the study and Associate Professor at the Lobachevsky University's Department of Ecology.
The research team of the Department of Ecology and the Department of Botany and Zoology of the UNN IBBM conducts sampling and conservation, and analyzes phyto- and zooplankton on a weekly basis. Aquatic animals and plants act as biological filters, and the biodiversity of flora and fauna directly affects the condition of water. Hydrochemical analysis is carried out by the Laboratory of Geochemistry of Natural Waters of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
“The need for such systematic monitoring of the condition of Nizhny Novgorod rivers has been overdue for years. For example, the share of domestic and industrial wastewater in the Oka River basin is the highest among all of Russia's water management districts. Moreover, our rivers are practically unprotected from diffuse pollution, in other words, from everything that is washed into the water bodies from the banks during rains or floods. For the first time ever, we will be able to comprehensively assess the composition of river water. The longer the project lasts, the more accurate our understanding of what is happening to our rivers will be,” noted Vyacheslav Zhikharev.
The database obtained in the course of monitoring will provide material for future studies and publications. The research is conducted within the framework of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education project “Flows of Potentially Toxic Elements and Compounds in River Basins: Research Technologies, Quantitative Assessment and Forecasting”. The observation post of Nizhny Novgorod hydrobiologists is a part of the monitoring network created within the framework of the federal project on Russia’s largest rivers: Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Northern Dvina, Moskva River and others. As part of the project, it is planned to develop new technologies and techniques for modelling the spread of pollutants in river systems. The data will be used to develop systems for diagnosing and assessing climate change, including changes caused by human-induced disasters.
