ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF ALGAE OF THE GENUS SPIROGYRA AS THE INDICATOR OF POLLUTION OF THE BAIKAL NEAR-SHORE ZONE WITH DOMESTIC SEWAGE
N.N. KULIKOVA, E.P. CHEBYKIN, E.A. VOLKOVA, N.A. BONDARENKO, N.A. ZHUCHENKO, O.A. TIMOSHKIN, A.N. SUTURIN
Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 664033, Irkutsk, ul. Ulan-Batorskaya, 3, Russia
Keywords: polluted wastewaters, near-shore zone, overwash zone, littoral, benthic algae
Abstract
Using the ICP-MS method we determined the elemental composition of near-shore waters of Lake Baikal and algae of the genus Spirogyra which have become of widespread occurrence in recent years in a shallow water zone adjacent to settlements and recreation sites, as well as of benthic algae dominating at littoral sites with a low level of anthropogenic impact. In the interstitional water of the overwash zone at the boundary the territories of settlements and recreations territories, elevated contents of Na, Mg, S, Si, P, K, Cl, Mn, Co and Ba were observed as compared to the water of background areas. The highest contents of the same elements: Na > Ca, K, S > Mg, Ba, P > Cl and Mn were also recorded in Spirogyra collected at the sites adjacent to settlements. A special feature in the elemental composition of algae of the genus Spirogyra growing in the lake’s shallow-water zone is a wide range of concentrations of Na, Cl, K, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Br and Ba as well as a very high content of Ba. Spirogyra spp. considerably surpasses the Baikalian benthic algae in the contents of Li, Na, Mn, Co and Ba and differs little in the contents of Mg, P, S, Cl, K and Ca. The aforementioned changes in the elemental composition of water and a high degree of concentration of Na, Cl, Mn, Co and Ba in Spirogyra uncharacteristic for the Baikalian species of algae suggest an increased input of dissolved compounds of Na, Mg, S, Si, P, K, Cl, Mn, Co and Ba with domestic sewage into the near-shore zone of the lake.
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