During the winter period from 2015 to 2019, in the third decade of February and the first decade of March, snow and ice samples were taken from the area of the Goloustnoye municipal settlements located on the west coast of Lake Baikal, as well as from the adjacent water area of the lake (at a distance not exceeding 1000 m from the coast) and the Goloustnaya River. The sampling was carried out to give a modern ecological assessment of the state of the considered natural components and determine the relationship between the presence of pollutants and the level of human impact. Based on the data obtained, we constructed a map of the distribution of suspended solids, sulfates and heavy metals, such as manganese, copper, zinc, and lead, in the study area. The highest content of pollutants was determined in the samples of snow taken near settlements: the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye and the village of Maloye Goloustnoye. Additionally, increased concentrations of suspended solids, sulfates, nitrites, ammonium, and manganese were found in the coastal area of Lake Baikal. At the same sampling sites, the pH values of meltwater corresponded to alkaline waters, which indicates anthropogenic pollution.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.