Impact of gypsum mining on the environment in the northern taiga

Abstract

The relevance of the study is related to the gap in the analysis of the impact of the gypsum mining industry on the environment in the specific conditions of the northern taiga, so an integrated approach was used, including a detailed study of the snow-water-soil-bottom sediment system within a radius of four kilometers from the gypsum quarry. Assessments of the dangers of using water for domestic drinking and fishery purposes were carried out, as well as quantitative assessments of the degree of contamination of sediments and soils and the degree of impact of pollution on biota. In order to clarify the sources of trace metals, a Principal Component Analysis of bottom sediments was performed. It has been established that bottom sediments are most contaminated with molybdenum and cadmium. For soils, the main contamination turned out to be associated with cadmium, zinc and lead. All these elements were found in increased quantities in snow samples, and zinc and lead in surface waters. The maximum contamination was determined from samples of bottom sediments with the maximum content of organic matter. According to the environmental risk index values, the level of pollution was characterized by a low potential environmental risk, but cadmium contamination was characterized by a moderate environmental risk. In sediments, the three principal components explained 91.5% of the total variance in the data set. The influence of the first component, is due to anthropogenic forcing. The second component is the natural processes of removing manganese, magnesium and strontium from rocks.