The level of air pollution in the impact zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using the data of geochemical snow survey (Republic of Kazakhstan)

Coal-fired power plants emissions impact the air quality and human health. Of great significance is assessment of solid airborne particles emissions from those plants and distance of their transportation. The article presents the results of air pollution assessment in the zone of coal-fired power plant (Karaganda City) using snow survey. Based on the mass of solid airborne particles deposited in snow, time of their deposition on snow at the distance from 0.5 to 4.5 km a value of dust load has been determined. It is stated that very high level of pollution is observed at the distance from 0.5 to 1 km. there is a trend in decrease of dust burden value with the distance from the stacks of coal-fired power plant that may be conditioned by the particle size and washing out smaller ash particles by ice pellets forming at freezing water vapour in stacks of the coal-fired power plant. Study in composition of solid airborne particles deposited in snow has shown that they mainly contain particulates of underburnt coal, Al-Si- rich spheres, Fe-rich spheres, and coal dust. The content of the particles in samples decreases with the distance from the stacks of the coal-fired power plant

Radioactive elements in the environment

Indicated role of natural radioactive elements (U, Th) in geospherical layers and various environmental components is discussed. Induced radionuclide problems are examine

STATE OF THYMUS COENOPOPULATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN SIBERIA

Background. The study of species coenopopulations and their stability in a particular area is a necessary stage when searching for ways of rational use of natural resources. The species of the genus Thymus in the southern Siberia is widely distributed. This species is found in the communities of mountain and lowland steppes, forest steppes and forests. The objective of this work is to explore the ontogenetic structure of Thymus coenopopulations in the southern Siberia and estimate the current state of this species. Materials and methods. Using the conventional methods particular features of life forms have been studied and biomorphs of 15 species of thyme have been selected; 22 coenopopulations of 10 species, which are distinguished by biomorph and the extent of distribution, have been investigated. Results. This research has shown that in the southern Siberia the species of the genus Thymus is formed in six life forms (vegetative-immotile form for the shrub and semi-shrub, vegetative-semi-motile form for the shrub and semi- shrub, vegetative-motile form for the shrub and semi- shrub) and three types of biomorphs (monocentric vegetative-immotile biomorph, implicitly polycentric vegetative-semi-motile biomorph, explicitly polycentric vegetative-motile biomorph). A relation between biological features of the species and the type of characteristic ontogenetic spectrum has been shown. Biological specific features of implicitly and explicitly polycentric species identify the left-sided type of the characteristic spectrum, of monocentric species, the type of spectrum is determined as centered one. The difference between the majority of ontogenetic spectra of specific coenopopulations from the typical spectrum is due to polyvariety of species development (alteration of the biomorph in the same species, a change in the prevailing propagation direction, reduction in the duration (or absence) of the generative period) and characteristics of the arranged ecotope system. Conclusions. For the thymes of different biomorphs the factors of habitats and specific features which influence the stable state of their coenopopulation are identified. It has been ascertained that Thymus coenopopulations in the southern Siberia are in a stable state or tend to be in this state. A comparative analysis of the data obtained made it possible to put forward some patterns of population behavior of thymes which can be extrapolated into another species of the genus Thymus with similar types of biomorphs