More than 20,000 lakes with sapropel sediments are located in southern West Siberia. The work is aimed at an integrated geochemical study of ten sapropel lake systems: a geochemical description of the lake waters, hydrobiological analysis, and analysis of the sapropels (phase and chemical analyses of inorganic matter and elemental analysis of organic matter). The geochemical landscape and low-flow regime of the waters of Siberian small lakes favor massive growth of living organisms. The anaerobic medium at the water/sediment boundary promotes the burial of organic matter as terrigenous material builds up. Based on the results, the sapropels are classified by chemical and mineral compositions into organic, organic siliceous, organic carbonate, organic carbonate-siliceous, and carbonate-siliceous. The sapropels inherit the contents of elements in soils and parental rocks, but the presence of considerable amounts of organic matter in the sediment determines their lower contents with respect to those in the soils of water catchment areas (except U, Cd, Hg, Ca, Sr, and Mn). Biochemical formation of pyrite and calcite is observed in the lake bottom sediments. The calcite formation in the sapropel sediments of Lakes Barchin, Bergul’, Kankul’, and Itkul’ determines their high Ca, Sr, Mn, and Mg contents. Comparison of data on the anion composition of the waters and the organic and mineral compositions of the sapropels has shown that the formation of low-ash biogenic sapropel takes place in lakes whose waters contain a considerable amount of dissolved organic matter and in which HCO3− is a predominant anion. No effect of the cation composition of the waters (Na, Ca, and Mg) on the sapropel composition has been detected. Therefore, Lakes Kankul’, Kachkul’nya, Bergul’, Barchin, and Kambala are the sapropel lake systems with the highest potential.

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In July to August 1999August -2001 zooplankton species were recorded in high mountain lakes of Altai (1800-2400 m above sea level). The abundance of zooplankton varies considerably, but the average val ues of abundance and biomass are low. According to zooplankton characteristics, the high mountain lakes are oligotrophic and oligosaprobic. The species composition of the zooplankton community depends on the area and depth of the lakes, and the quantitative indices, particularly in the littoral zone, are determined by water temperature.

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The current data on the ecological state of streams at the launch site of the Vostochny Cosmodrome with the use of biological indicators are presented. Recommendations on the surface water biomonitoring of the cosmodrome and the booster rocket drop zones are given. It is shown that the system of biological monitoring of the cosmodrome, as a part of the Roscosmos environmental monitoring, should be coordinated with the Roshydromet monitoring.