A. S. Yakovlev

Assessment and regulation of the ecological state of soils in the impact zone of mining and metallurgical enterprises of Norilsk Nickel Company

An assessment of the ecological state of soils has been performed in the area of mining and metallurgical enterprises of Norilsk Nickel Company with respect to the level of soil contamination by heavy metals, the state of the vegetation, and the biological activity of the soils. The territory within 4 km from Norilsk is characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals, the absence of trees, and the disturbance of the organic matter mineralization. This zone corresponds to level 5 of the loss of environmental quality. At distances of 4–16 km from the city, the state of the environment corresponds to level 4, and, at distances of 16–25 km, to level 3. In the latter zone, the soils are characterized by increased concentrations of acid-soluble and mobile metal compounds, though the concentrations of water-soluble metal compounds do not exceed the maximum permissible levels; the soil microbiological activity is normalized. The state of the environment at a distance of 25 km from Norilsk is close to level 2. Soil contamination with heavy metals is accompanied by a rise in the portion of Cu, Ni, and Co compounds bound with amorphous iron oxides and hydroxides, as well as in the portion of their mobile forms.

Ecological standardization of soil and soil quality control

Theoretical bases are offered for the ecological soil standardization presuming the scientific substantiating of the allowable ecological state (quality) of the soil and the allowable anthropogenic impact on it. The modern experience of these bases’ application in regulatory-methodological, nature-control, and managerial practices is presented. The criteria are found for determining the levels of the allowable ecological quality of soil and the anthropogenic impact on it. The sources of the anthropogenic impact on the soil are characterized. A unified system of indices of soil quality and anthropogenic impacts and a mechanism for determining the range of the allowable values of these parameters have been developed taking into account the natural conditions and types of land use. Scientific-methodological approaches are proposed that support a certain balance between the allowable ecological status of the soil and the effects on it in connection with the mechanisms of the soil quality control in particular land plots.

Assessment of soil contamination by the content of heavy metals in the soil profile

A new soil-ecological definition of the maximal permissible concentration (MPC) of heavy metals in soils is suggested that regulates the sampling in contaminated territories. Instead of the shallow pits usually used for collecting surface samples for soil-hygienic and other investigations, it is proposed to fulfill a detailed analysis along the entire soil profile including not only the determination of the heavy element content in certain horizons but also the soil density in these horizons. For the polyelemental contamination Zc (according to the Saet equation) based on the background (clarke) excess, the established Zc values ranging from 1 to 128, may reach absurd values of 800–900 upon taking into consideration only one surface layer. At the same time, the use of the weighted average content of the metals in the soil profile adjusts the Zc values for the existing natural conditions. Upon aerial impact, the consideration of the heavy metal contents along the soil profile instead of their contents in the surface horizon only leads to a decrease in the indices of the soil contamination degree. Upon the hydrogenic impact, the transition from the heavy metal contents in the surface horizon to their contents in the soil profile gives higher values of the soil contamination.

Legal aspects of soil conservation and land cadaster works

The analysis of modern Russian legislation in the sphere of environmental protection, management of natural resources, soil conservation, and land cadaster works has been performed. It is shown that a common federal approach to environmental impact assessments and soil quality assessments is virtually absent. Ecological indices are not taken into account in the federal land cadaster. Most of the recently adopted legislative regulations in this sphere have a technocratic character. The recent governmental regulations on land and environmental monitoring have still not been put into practice. To ensure soil conservation policy and protect soils as a component of the environment, a distinction should be made between the notions of soil and land in the legal documents. The basic principles of the proposed law “On Soil Conservation” are outlined. It is argued that a system of soil-ecological criteria should be elaborated for the proper assessment of soil quality. As a soil conservation service is absent in Russia, it is suggested that the Dokuchaev Soil Science Society should organize an association for the protection and rehabilitation of Russian soils.

Contamination of soils and groundwater with new organic micropollutants: A review

The input of organic micro- and nanopollutants to the environment has grown in recent years. This vast class of substances is referred to as emerging micropollutants, and includes organic chemicals of industrial, agricultural, and municipal provenance. There are three main sources of emerging pollutants coming to the environment, i.e., (1) upon soil fertilization with sewage and sewage sludge; (2) soil irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and (3) due to filtration from municipal landfills of solid wastes. These pollutants contaminate soil, affect its inhabitants; they are also consumed by plants and penetrate to the groundwater. The pharmaceuticals most strongly affect the biota (microorganisms, earthworms, etc.). The response of microorganisms in the contaminated soil is controlled not only by the composition and the number of emerging pollutants but also by the geochemical environment.

National approaches to evaluation of the degree of soil degradation

Approaches to evaluation of the degree of soil degradation and the related normative documents applied by specialists from state institutes for land management of the former Soviet Union in the course of largeand medium-scale soil surveys in the 1960s–1990s are analyzed. It is shown that the types and rates of soil degradation were specified without proper consideration for the taxonomic position of particular soils. Reference (nondegraded) soils were not clearly defined, which made it difficult to judge the degree of soil degradation by means of a comparative analysis of degraded and nondegraded soils. Such reference soils are suggested for several types of soil degradation (dehumification, compaction, depletion of nutrients, etc.). Additional diagnostic criteria of the degree of soil degradation caused by wind and water erosion, waterlogging, swamping, and other adverse processes are specified. The study of qualitative and quantitative changes in the soil properties during the post-Soviet period is important for the development of land monitoring system and for the analysis of economic aspects of land degradation. To ensure reliability of data on changes in the soil properties and soil cover patterns, possible errors related to incorrect comparison of the data obtained by traditional and modern approaches should be taken into account.

Changes in the biochemical characteristics of soils in the impact zone of the Kostomuksha Ore-Dressing enterprise

Special soil studies in the impact zone of the Kostomuksha Ore-Dressing enterprise were performed for the first time. The influence of the aerial pollution on the contents and composition of the free amino acids in the organic (forest litter) and mineral (podzolic) soil horizons was examined. An increase in the content of free amino acids in the soils near the pollution source was revealed. The content of amino acids in the organic soil horizons varied in dependence on the distance from the enterprise. The results obtained in this study may be used for the purposes of the biological diagnostics and monitoring of soils in the anthropogenically disturbed ecosystems of eastern Fennoscandia.

Methodology for the environmental assessment of the soil state and regulation of the soil quality

A method of determining the parameters of the soil state and assessing the quality of soils subject to anthropogenic loads was substantiated. An equation for the state function was derived in the general form, and a method was proposed for determining the equation parameters based on the interpretation of the experimental “dose-response” relationships. A schedule was developed for the environmental assessment of the soil quality. Procedures were substantiated and specified for assessing the state and quality of erosion-hazardous soils, the quality of the air with an unorganized dust source, the state and quality of the water on the basis of biotesting, the integrated assessment of the soil state under multiple loads, and the environmental-economic assessment of the quality of lands and waste disposal sites.

The triad approach to ecological assessment of urban soils

The “triad” approach was suggested by Chapman [22] for assessing the risk of contamination of bottom deposits. We applied this approach for the analysis of urban soils under different loads from motor transport. On its basis, the results of chemical analysis (heavy metals, biogenic elements, and pH), bioindication parameters of the communities of microorganisms, and the results of toxicological investigations with the use of test-organisms were generalized to obtain an integral index of the soil status (IS). A comparison of IS values for test plots at different distances from a highway in the city of Kirov (58.3729–58.624722 N, 49.3743–49.628611 E) showed that the ecological status of the soils could be qualified as disturbed on the plots adjacent to the highway and as slightly disturbed at distances of 30–200 m from the highway. The IS calculated on the basis of data of three disciplines (chemistry, ecology, and toxicology) seems to be a more comprehensive characteristic for assessing the ecological status of urbanozems as compared to Zc indices of the chemical contamination of soils (suggested by Saet) or indices of the integral biological characteristics of soil quality.

Ecological evaluation of artificial soils treated with phosphogypsum

An attempt to set up ecologically acceptable concentrations of toxic components contained in phosphogypsum was made for soils of different land uses. For this purpose, an experimental ecological evaluation of a standard soil mixture (model artificial soil ISO 11268-1) treated with phosphogypsum was performed. Both positive and negative effects of the phosphogypsum components were found. Thus, a significant increase in the biomass of lawn grasses was observed in the model soil with the phosphogypsum content of less than 3.3%. In the soil containing more than 6.8% phosphogypsum, the concentrations of Sr and F exceeded the maximum permissible values and adversely affected the living organisms. According to the basic ecological norms, the allowable content of phosphogypsum should be ≤2.0% for the soils of specially protected natural areas; ≤6.8% for agricultural and urban soils; and ≤9.6% for the soils of forest, water management, and transport lands.