The territory of the
Great Arctic Nature
Reserve, as the
nature of the
Taimyr Peninsula
on the whole, is
under the influence
of several powerful
factors, polluting
and damaging
ecological systems.
-
Norilsk Mining and
Metallurgical Works
contaminate the
atmosphere, fresh
waters, soil and
actively destroys
the ozone layer.
-
The
Kara
Sea
is in the area of
radioactive, oil and
other kinds of
pollution.
-
The
Yenisei River
and the
Yeniseisky
Bay
are contaminated,
apart from
Norilsk,
also by other
sources located much
to the south of
Taimyr.
-
There is a
mechanical
destruction of the
coastal ecological
systems as a result
of human activity
(movement of land
transport,
accumulation of
rubbish and wastes).
-
Poaching creates an
additional pressure
on biological
resources, first of
all on fish
resources, which are
decreasing due to
the deterioration of
ecological
conditions.
-
There are plans of
further development
of the mining
industry, as an
alternative of
Norilsk
ores, which are
being exhausted,
including gold and
rare metals mining
in the north of
Taimyr.
On the territories,
belonging to the
Nature Reserve, the
tundra and polar
desert systems are
little damaged. They
remain to be models
of undamaged nature.
However, a lot of
general processes
already influence
them too.
The most powerful
source,
contaminating the
natural environment
in Taimyr is Norilsk
Mining and
Metallurgical Works.
The development of
any sulphide
platinoid-copper-nickel
fields is especially
ecologically
dangerous. Rich and
uniquely rich
(according the
terminology of
geologists) ores of
the
Norilsk
field were exhausted
already in the
1950s. The opening
of the Talnakhskoye
and Octyabrskoye
fields and the
beginning of their
development
(1963-65) gave the
Works` operation a
new impulse; here
also predominantly
rich ores were
extracted, and a
detailed general
geological
exploration was
conducted in
parallel. By the
year 1987 the
industrial reserves
of all ore types
were completely
prospected and
delineated to the
depth of 2000-2200
m.
According the
estimation of ore
production adopted
at the present time
(60% - rich ores,
30% - “copper” ores
and 10% -
impregnated ores)
the Works will be
fully provided with
work for more 35
years (Gramberg and
other, 2000). Then
the profitability of
the operation will
be decreasing, and
therefore there are
no big hopes that
sufficient funds
will be allocated
for the arrangement
of wastes` treatment
facilities. Apart
from it, geological
exploration in the
neighbouring
territories,
including those to
the north, will
intensify.
By the emission of
sulphur oxides (more
than a 30% share in
the total amount of
chemical substances`
emission and more
than 70% of sulphur
dioxide emission in
the Arctic) Norilsk
is the second
powerful seat of
tension in the whole
Russian Arctic (Myach,
1996). The Works
emit in the air
millions of tons of
sulphur dioxide
annually (in 1989 –
2352.2 ths tons, in
1990 – 2280 ths
tons) and hazardous
industrial dust
(33 807 and 32 000
tons respectively).
Only Norilsk Nickel
Plant emits up to 12
ths tons of dust in
the air, including
2000 tons of nickel,
350 tons of copper
and 20 tons of
cobalt per annum.
In the recent years
the hazardous
emissions of Norilsk
Works have reduced
by 10-11%, but the
air pollution
remains to be very
high. The total
emission of
pollutants in the
air by the
enterprises of
Norilsk Works
reached in some
years 22.5 mln tons
per annum,
especially at the
beginning of using
talnakh ores, which
contain a large
amount of sulphur
compounds. At
present the total
emission amounts to
1946 ths tons per
annum.
Sulphur
dioxide comprises up
to 95% of the
exhausted gases of
the Works`
enterprises. As a
result the average
concentration of
sulphur dioxide in
the atmosphere of
Norilsk
is by 10 times
higher than the
average value in the
country and exceeds
the maximum
admissible
concentration (MAC)
by 2 – 2.5 times.
Some single maximum
concentrations on
the most
unfavourable days
exceed MAC almost by
30 times. The
formaldehyde
pollution is also
high. The area of
the snow cover`s
contamination
exceeds the city
housing area by 780
times. The area of
the damaged forest
in the area of
Norilsk
is equal to 5 650 sq
km. So-called
anthropogenic
deserts have
appeared around
industrial sites
now, where the
natural vegetative
cover is completely
destroyed and the
soils are strongly
eroded (the B layer
is exposed), the
differences of
height belts have
been rubbed off on
mountainous slopes (Evseyev,
1996).
Colossal emissions
from Norilsk Works
lead to the
formation of acidic
precipitations,
which noticeably
aggravate the
negative changes in
the environment.
This is confirmed by
an analysis of the
snow cover, the
sulphates content in
which (up to 30 – 40
mg/l) exceeds the
background values by
more than 10 times.
The total area of
precipitations`
oxidation in the
area of
Norilsk
amounts to about 400
ths sq km. As a
result the map of
the main sources of
contamination in the
Arctic indicates the
whole area of
Northern Taimyr to
the west of the
Taimyr
Lake
up to the coast of
the
Pyasinsky
Bay as the districts of
constant fallout of
acidic precipitation
(Myach, 1996).
Within the borders
of
Norilsk
region the density
of sulphur dioxide
fallout reaches
750-2200 kg/sq km,
the acidity of the
precipitation being
3.1-3.2 pH. The
enormous amount of
sulphur dioxide
emitted by the
enterprises of
Norilsk Works is
capable of
destroying ozone in
the stratosphere. In
1997, since 28th
March till mid May,
an abnormally low
ozone content was
noted above the
Arctic and the major
part of
Eastern Siberia
(by 30% lower than
the usual), while
the “ozone hole” in
the stratosphere
reached 3 ths km in
the diameter (Yemelyanenkov,
1997). Already in
1991 it was
established that the
reduction of ozone
in the atmosphere
takes place
throughout the whole
year, and not only
in winter and
spring, as they
thought before.
According to the
state programs of
Arctic development,
proposed at the
present time, it is
planned to expand
and intensify
geological
exploration of
platinoids and
nickel on the
Taimyr Peninsula.
It is also planned
to carry out a wide
range of geological
explorative and
scientific research
works to estimate
the placer and
bedrock auriferosity
of
Severnaya Zemlya
and the adjacent
offshore part of
Taimyr. This
concerns the Nature
Reserve directly.
When
the Nature Reserve`s
project was being
developed it was the
geological services
that minimized the
sections on the
Chelyuskin
Peninsula, which
were supposed to be
included in the
Nature Reserve`s
territory, due to
their possible
prospects of gold
mining. This is the
so-called
Taimyr-Severozemelnaya
gold-bearing
province. The
preparation and
development of the
first industrial
projects within its
borders will begin
in the nearest
future. Then the
small protected
sections on the
Chelyuskin
Peninsula
will be especially
important as a model
of untouched nature.
The islands,
included in the
Nature Reserve, are
located in the
Kara
Sea
– in its eastern
shallower part. As
to the degree of
degradation of the
ecological systems
the Kara Sea, among
other Russian seas,
is in a rather
problem-free state:
in 1995 it occupied
the 11th
place out of 13 –
only the Bering and
Chukchi Seas are
“cleaner” (Dodin,
Sadikov, 2000).
Nevertheless, it has
several sources of
ecological jeopardy.
First of all, it
borders upon
Novaya Zemlya,
where underground
and air nuclear
explosions have been
quite recently
conducted. The last
nuclear experiment
in the air was
conducted here in
1980. Secondly, the
western deep-water
part of the
Kara
Sea
(Novozemelskaya
depression) contains
an internationally
agreed burial place
of Russian nuclear
wastes. The biggest
amount of
radioactive wastes
of low and medium
activity was buried
here in 1967 and
1968. The most
significant part of
the burial here is
spent fuel of atomic
reactors together
with parts of atomic
reactors (Hilm et ot.,
1995).
The today`s
distribution of
radionuclides in the
Kara Sea is
relatively low and
extremely mosaic,
which is probably
connected with the
fact that it is
insufficiently
studied. In 1993-94
the Russian-American
expedition worked on
board the ship
“Yakov Smirnitsky”
in the
Yeniseisky
Bay.
According to its
reports the
radiation of
Plutonium-139 and
240 in
the bottom sediments
of the
Yeniseisky
Bay,
including its part
near
Dixon,
exceeds 400 Bq/t (in
the Ob Bay – 200 –
400 Bq/t). At the
same time the zone
of higher radiation
does not disappear,
like in the Ob Bay,
at the end of the
Bay, but continues
further in the
Kara
Sea.
This is evident of
the fact that
radionuclides enter
the
Yeniseisky
Bay by the
Yenisei
River
from the south, from
the “nuclear” city
Krasnoyarsk-26 (Dodin,
Sadikov, 2000).
As it is known the
main dose of
internal radiation
of human beings from
the global
radionuclide fallout
is formed by means
of their entering
the body through
food chains,
especially through
the chain: lichen –
reindeer – man. The
peak of caesium-137
content in Taimyr
reindeer meat was
noted in 1967. One
can notice the
north-eastern
direction of
radioactive
substances` fallout
(caesium-137) with
regard to Ural-Novozemelsky
Nuclear Complex. Now
the content of
caesium-137
in
reindeer meat has
decreased. In fish
the maximum
accumulation of
caesium-137 (up to
10 000 Bq/kg) was
noted in the liver
of arctic char
Salvelinus
alpinus (Dodin,
Sadikov, 2000).
The content of
radionuclides in
bottom organisms and
in fish in the
Kara
Sea
is comparatively low
– by 2 – 3 times
lower than in the
most contaminated
Northern and
Baltic
Seas.
The tissue of
hydrobionts does not
contain a lot of
heavy metals,
although in the area
of the Yenisei River
inflow the heavy
metals`
concentrations in
the sea is
especially high, and
the quantities of
all controlled
metals: lead, zinc,
iron, copper, tin,
manganese and others
tend to grow.
According to
microbiological
pollution indicators
the water in the
bays of the
Kara
Sea can be considered as
moderately polluted.
The
Kara
Sea
receives more than a
half of all river
inflow into the seas
of the Siberian
Arctic. The offshore
water near the
coasts of
Dixon
is qualified as
moderately polluted.
3 cu km of polluted
effluent gets into
the
Yenisei
River
annually.
Norilsk Works
saturate ground and
ground waters with
chemicals, thus
contaminating also
the surrounding
rivers and lakes.
The enterprises of
Norilsk discharge
effluent water into
the rivers
Shchuchiya and
Ambarnaya,
discharging also a
lot of mineral
substances,
including cyanides,
compounds of copper,
lead, zinc, nickel,
arsenic, fluorine,
mercury, antimony,
chlorine and sulphur.
In 1994 the total
volume of untreated
effluent waters of
Norilsk Works
amounted to 54.2 mln
cu m, and
insufficiently
treated – 50.9 mln
cu m. Those waters
contained 67.6 ths
tons of pollutants.
As a result rivers
turn into gutters,
the waters of which
have the pollutants`
amount, reaching
sometimes 424 MAC (Vilchek,
1996).
In the first place
this regards the
basin of the
Pyasina
River,
which a short time
ago was a very rich
fishing water body
with a wonderful set
of delicacy fish (7
species of the
salmonid
Salmonidae
family, including
nelma
and others).
A.I.Berezovsky, who
was one of the first
who investigated the
fish resources of
Pyasina wrote: “…
There is no such
other place as
Pyasina, where its
natural fish wealth,
owing to its
isolation, were in
such virgin state,
in the whole
world…”. Now Pyasina,
especially its upper
part (before the
place of its flowing
into the
Pyasino
Lake)
is in the zone of
maximum soil and
vegetation
contamination from
Norilsk
industrial district.
The once wonderful
lake
Pyasino is almost
completely deprived
of fish now. Its
water has a dead
greenish-gray colour.
The
Lower
Pyasina
River
is also heavily
contaminated, and
its fish reserves
are immensely
undermined. Experts
are of the opinion
that due to the
closeness to Norilsk
the biota and
ecological systems
of the
Pyasino-Yenisei
interfluve are under
the danger of
complete
transformation, and
many species of
plants and animals
may simply soon
disappear.
The oil and gas
contamination near
the Nature Reserve`s
coast is
comparatively low.
The oil content in
the water of the
Lower
Yenisei
River, however, exceeds
MAC immensely (Vilchek,
1996).
Apart from the
chemical
contamination the
fresh waters of
Taimyr suffer from
mechanical
contamination
(production of sand
and gravel by means
of hydraulic
deposition, dredging
works), which can be
not less
catastrophic. Turbid
water is not
suitable for the
life of rheophilic
fish, to which the
majority of valuable
species of the local
ichthyofauna
belongs.
The rich fish
resources of the
Yeniseisky
Bay
also gets gradually
depleted. This
regards especially
the valuable fish
species (Siberian
sturgeon, nelma and
other salmonids).
Apart from the
depletion of fish
resources as a
result of
contamination in the
Yeniseisky Bay,
unrestrained
poaching is also
prospering, which
leads to the
complete liquidation
of sturgeons and
salmonids in the
Lower Yenisei River,
for the restoration
of the quantity of
which so many
efforts and time was
once spent.
The arctic coasts,
like the tundra area
on the whole, suffer
from the use of land
transport,
especially heavy
track-type vehicles.
This is one of the
most serious
engineering problems
of high latitudes.
The common opinion
states that the use
of heavy vehicles is
especially dangerous
for the tundra soil
surface in
summertime,
therefore attempts
are made to use it
in wintertime only.
However, in this
case also a number
of difficulties
occur. If
“winterers” move on
the surface with a
small inclination, a
kind of seasonal
millponds are formed
in these places, and
the strongly
compacted snow can,
during melting,
flood large
territories. Erosion
can develop as a
result, which may
lead to the
“self-drainage” of
lakes (Tummel,
Zotova, 1996).
Enormous
accumulations of
empty iron barrels
and other rubbish
around settlements
and even the places
of short stays of
expeditions also
damage the arctic
environment, which
may have
far-reaching
negative
consequences.
On the whole we can
state that although
the current state of
the Great Arctic
Nature Reserve`s
ecological systems
is tolerable, it is
also alarming. There
are a lot of sources
of jeopardy for
them. Thus the
saving of the
protected
small-sized cluster
areas of arctic
tundra and polar
deserts is of an
especial
environmental
importance
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