Development of Lake from Acidification to Eutrophication in the Arctic Region under Reduced Acid Deposition and Climate Warming

• Published in: Water
• Main Authors: Tatyana I. Moiseenko, Mariya M. Bazova, Natalia A. Gashkina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022
• Subjects: Kola smelters; water acidification; eutrophication; climate warming; lake evolution; Hydraulic engineering; TC1-978; Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes; TD201-500; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213467; https://doaj.org/article/5143de34f4254343bceac23f982758a0

Small lakes are potentially effective environmental sensors; they react quickly to anthropogenic stressors. We studied the long-term response of water chemistry to reduced acid deposition and climate warming in the Kola Arctic region of Russia based on monitoring data from 75 lakes. Monitoring was carried out once every 4–5 years in 1990–2018, with analysis for major anions and cations, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and heavy metals (Ni and Cu). Analysis of archive data on the weather allowed us to reliably identify trends toward a systematic temperature increase over the past 28 years. The population of the lakes under study was proven to generally show a decrease in the concentrations of anthropogenic sulfates and the strengthening of the acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) of the waters during this period. The concentrations of both DOC and nutrients (P tot and N tot ) in the lake waters were determined to increase. This phenomenon can be explained by the following two mechanisms: a decrease in the deposition of strong acids and climate warming. We suggest that the effects of multiple factors on the surface waters result in an irreversible evolution of the lakes; hence, the term recovery does not adequately reflect the processes occurring in this industrially well-developed part of the Arctic.