Geochemical Features of Elements Distributions in the Lake Waters of the Arctic Region

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Abstract
—Data on the water quality and the contents of a large group of elements in small lakes are reported for three regions of the Arctic basin: European Russia (Kola region), Western (Yamal–Nenets district) and Eastern (Norilsk region) Siberia. All studied waters are low-salinity and oligotrophic. The air pollution in the lake waters caused the elevated concentrations of many elements. The waters of the Norilsk and Kola regions are enriched in Ni, Cd, As, Sb and Se owing to the distribution of smoke emissions from copper–nickel smelters over long distances. The petroleum industry leads to increased concentrations of V, Pb, and Mo in water. The degree of anthropogenic influence on the lake waters of the Arctic regions was estimated using the Enrichment Factors (EF). The high values of EF for most part of analyzed elements are explained not only by anthropogenic dispersion of elements, but also by a change in the conditions of element migration and the geochemical features of ore occurrences. The calculations demonstrated the effect of anthropogenic dispersion on the enrichment of Arctic waters by a large group of elements, including toxic ones.

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