Elemental Concentrations of Major and Trace Elements in the Spring Waters of the Arctic Region of Russia

The Arctic region of Russia is rich with natural water resources. Some residents of this area prefer to use water from spring sources instead of tap water. However, the elemental composition for most of the springs is unknown, making it very important to regularly update water quality data. In this paper, the chemical composition of 24 natural springs near large cities of the Murmansk region were identified via titration, potentiometry, and mass spectrometry analysis with the low detection limits. The concentrations of a considerable number of micro-components have been determined for the first time. Concentrations of some hazardous pollutants have been found in spring water that exceed Russian hygienic limits by 2.5 times. In terms of chemical indicators, it was shown that in accordance with European and national water standards, only half of the tested natural water sources in the Murmansk region can be used for drinking water. The preferential spring was recommended near each major city in the region according to a set of chemical parameters. The results of chemical composition of the spring waters were disseminated publicly by placing the tags with QR codes with the link to the cloud storage near each studied spring

Elemental Concentrations of Major and Trace Elements in the Spring Waters of the Arctic Region of Russia

The Arctic region of Russia is rich with natural water resources. Some residents of this area prefer to use water from spring sources instead of tap water. However, the elemental composition for most of the springs is unknown, making it very important to regularly update water quality data. In this paper, the chemical composition of 24 natural springs near large cities of the Murmansk region were identified via titration, potentiometry, and mass spectrometry analysis with the low detection limits. The concentrations of a considerable number of micro-components have been determined for the first time. Concentrations of some hazardous pollutants have been found in spring water that exceed Russian hygienic limits by 2.5 times. In terms of chemical indicators, it was shown that in accordance with European and national water standards, only half of the tested natural water sources in the Murmansk region can be used for drinking water. The preferential spring was recommended near each major city in the region according to a set of chemical parameters. The results of chemical composition of the spring waters were disseminated publicly by placing the tags with QR codes with the link to the cloud storage near each studied spring

Microscopic fungi in big cities : Biodiversity, source, and relation to pollution by potentially toxic metals

For the first time, a mycological analysis of outdoor urban environment (air, leaves, sealed surfaces) was carried in the cities of subarctic (Murmansk) and temperate (Moscow) climatic zones. The chemical composition of dust deposited on leaves of dominant tree species was taken as an indicator of the air quality. Assessment of the complex impact of factors (climate zone, type of substrate, anthropogenic load) on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of mycobiome was performed. Compared to Moscow, Murmansk was characterized by an increased number and concentrations of pollutants in the deposited dust. The number of culturable airborne fungi in Murmansk was substantially lower than in Moscow. Half of the species belonged to the opportunistic in both cities. Most dangerous opportunistic fungi were absent in the air of recreational zones but present on leaves surface and in road dust in all assessed zones of the cities. Dust chemical composition affected the diversity of fungi species. While the relationship of biological parameters with concentration of potentially toxic metals was generally negative, Cd increased the fraction of opportunistic fungi in road dust. The study revealed an importance of substrate in determining the sensitivity of outdoor mycobiome to pollution and highlighted its biological characteristics sensitive to climate