Natalia Kuryatnikova

This article presents the results of a study of the spatial distribution of microplastic (MP) pollution of urban snow cover conducted on the territory of the Barnaul urban agglomeration. The algorithm of the study involves the following sequential steps: snow sampling, the identification of MP particles, a calculation of the total particle abundance in the sample, and a concentration assessment. In total, 49 snow samples from various parts of the city were taken for the study in the first decade of March 2021. They were stored in 3-L glass containers. MP particles were detected using a scanning electron microscope. MPs are found in all snow samples in concentrations from 27 to 595 items/L, with an average concentration of 125 items/L. The city of Barnaul is located on three natural landscapes: uvals of the Ob Plateau, a dell formed by an ancient river runoff with a ribbon forest, and the Ob Valley. The maximum amount of MP particles is found in the snow cover of the Ob Plateau and the minimum is in the Ob Valley. The next stage involved assessing the level of MP pollution of the city across six functional zones. Assessment results show that the maximum average concentration of MP particles in Barnaul during the winter period is typical for urban green spaces (parks and squares) in all districts of the city. The possible reasons for that are the continuous accumulation of snow in such areas throughout the entire cold weather period and the so-called “comb-out” effect associated with the ability of plants to filter particles of dry atmospheric deposition. The snow cover of Barnaul is found to contain MP particles of all five main shapes: granule, foam, fragment, film, and fiber.

The results of microscopic analysis for the presence of bioaerosols of 114 samples of precipitation (snow) taken during two cold periods (2015–2016 and 2016–2017) in the south of Western Siberia are presented. With the use of trajectory, synoptic, and map analyzes, the main regions were identified from which pollen grains and algae arrived with air masses and precipitated with atmospheric precipitation.

Microplastics (MPs) contaminations of freshwater and marine environments has become a global issue. Lakes in southern Siberia provide a wide range of ecosystem services and are essential elements in the annual and interannual runoff distribution of the Great Siberian Rivers. However, the extent of their MPs pollution remains unknown. In this paper, for the first time, we analyze the concentrations, composition, and spatial distribution of MPs in six lakes in southern Siberia. The studied lakes are located both in the Altai mountains and the West Siberian plain. Some of them are significantly impacted by human activities, while others are located in protected areas with no permanent population. Nevertheless, MPs were detected in all of the studied lakes. MPs concentrations ranged from 4 to 26 MPs L⁻¹. Comparing with other inland lakes, South Siberian lakes presented moderate MPs concentrations. Among the registered MPs forms, fragments and films were dominant, with a size range between 31 and 60 nm. The MPs’ sources depend on local human activities (fishing, transport, landfilling). Therefore, sufficiently high concentrations were observed even in remote lakes. The present study set a baseline that emphasizes the need for increased attention to waste management and sustainable water use in Siberian freshwater environments.

The results of a microscopic analysis of 39 samples of (snow) precipitation taken in the steppe zone of the south of Western Siberia during the cold period of 2019/20 are presented. The samples contain pollen grains of woody (Betula sp., Pinus sp.) and herbaceous taxa (Artemisia sp., families Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae). The herbaceous samples predominate in the spectrum-51%. To determine the areas of pollen grain arrival, the frequency back trajectories of the air masses are calculated with the HYSPLIT model for the atmospheric boundary layer during 120 hours. Analysis of pressure topography maps, maps of distributions of snow cover, average velocities and wind directions has made it possible to identify the areas of arrival of the pollen grains. The area of arrival of Artemisia sp. is the territory of the Turan Plain.