We examine the decadal (2001–2010) regularities in the processes of distant transport of air masses and heavy metals (HM) to five locations in the North of the European territory of Russia. The spatial and seasonal differences in these processes are considered. We use the back trajectories statistical method for the transport of air masses, and a model description of the distant transport of HM on submicron aerosol particles. The study revealed the most significant sources of HM metals in different seasons for different regions, namely the industrial centers of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk oblasts, as well as the more distant Sverdlovsk, Leningrad and Vologda oblasts, and the cities of Kirov, Perm and Norilsk. The mean indicators of anthropogenic environmental pollution in the background areas of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk oblasts at a large distance from the emission sources. The estimates obtained for lead and cadmium are in a reasonable agreement with available measurements. It is shown that it is only with high winter-summer ratios of anthropogenic HM concentration (higher than 170, which corresponds to about 50% of cases) that anthropogenic impacts on the environment in a warm season can be neglected in the areas under consideration. Otherwise 14 to 45% of the anthropogenic annual flow of HM from the atmosphere can be deposited on the snow-free surface of soils and water bodies. It is found that a combination of the effectivenesses of sources and sinks during the distant transport of HM leads to uneven pollution of the territory under consideration, and this must be taken into account when selecting so-called background (low-pollution) areas separately for each pollutant involved.

Arctic rivers bring litter from their basins to the sea, but accurate data for the Arctic do not exist yet. This study presents the first assessment of floating macro litter input (>2.5 cm) from the Northern Dvina and Onega rivers to the White Sea. The observations were performed based on the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) methodology and using the mobile application of the Joint Research Centre (Ispra, Italy). The results of observations from May 2021 to November 2021 show that 77% of floating objects were of natural origin (mainly leaves, wood and bird feathers). Of the particles of anthropogenic origin, 59.6% were represented by various types of plastics, 27.7% were processed wood, 8.5% paper/cardboard, 2.7% metal, 1.1% were rubber and <1% textiles. The average monthly input of anthropogenic macro litter by the Northern Dvina varies from 250 to 1700 items/hour, and by Onega from 520 to 2350 items/hour. The level of pollution of the studied rivers was found to be higher than in some Europeans rivers but lower than in China. The mass discharge of macroplastics in the Northern Dvina River was compared with the estimates of the discharge of meso- and microplastics; that allowed us to show that the discharge of macroplastics in mass units is much higher than of micro- and mesoplastics.

This paper seeks to generalize the data obtained over 4 years of investigation of the suspended sediment mineral composition in Severnaya Dvina River. The sampling of the river water to isolate suspended particulate matter (SPM) using the method of sedimentation from large water volumes (200–800 L) was carried out at two points of the delta with different hydrological regimes every month for four years. SPM samples weighing 1 g and more allowed us to obtain and preserve for different analytical procedures the grain size fractions from 1.0–0.5 to <0.001 mm (from sands to pelit). The analyses of fractions revealed a sharp prevalence of pelitic fractions (<0.01 mm) (near 90% on average), while the share of silt was 4%–5%. Coarse fractions were found in the SPM of the main stream of the river but were absent in the samples taken at the point near the river–sea boundary. The determinations of clastic, clay, and some other minerals using the method of X-ray diffraction analysis have shown that in the group of clastic minerals, quartz and plagioclase prevail. Among the clay minerals, smectite and illite were present in high quantities, and chlorite and kaolinite were in lower quantitative. The distribution of minerals in the grain size fractions showed that the sum of clastic minerals reached its highest content of up to 84% in silt fractions (0.05–0.01 mm), while the sum of clay minerals in this fraction was minimal (about 15%). Investigations of seasonal variations of clastic and clay minerals during the whole period showed that the contents of minerals in the SPM of the Severnaya Dvina did not change much over the year. As a result of this work, the following trend was established on the behavior of all kinds of minerals: during the periods of high water in spring and autumn, a slightly increased quantity of clastic minerals was detected in comparison to winter and summer, while the variations in the quantities of clay minerals were insignificant.

Fluxes of anthropogenic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Ni, Cr, and Cu) to the surface of four seas (White, Pechora, Kara, and Laptev seas) in the Russian Arctic have been estimated in this work using previously calculated concentrations of these elements in the surface atmosphere in some island and continental points of the Arctic Ocean. The obtained values were compared with the published data on the fluxes of the same components carried by waters flowing into the seas. Based on EMEP reports, we made some corrections for the data on lead and cadmium fluxes from the atmosphere to White and Pechora sea waters, taking into account pollution sources from European countries and the contribution of processes of the raising of dust and soil particles by wind to the pollution of the European part of Russia. On the whole, the contribution of atmospheric fluxes of HMs to the formation of the environment composition of northern Russian seas is significantly lower than that of the runoff of rivers flowing into the seas. The White Sea is the exception; it is exposed to numerous anthropogenic sources of HM emissions into the atmosphere. It is also reasonable to expect the atmospheric transport of HMs to make a significant contribution to these waters. One can also expect a significant contribution of the atmospheric transport of HMs to waters of distant seas (the Kara and Laptev seas), namely, in the parts of these seas where the influence of largest Siberian rivers (Ob, Yenisei, and Lena) is insignificant.

The results of studies on the content of aluminum and heavy metals in benthic sediments and algae in the estuaries of the Arctic island Vaygach are presented. This island is located on the Barents and Kara Sea border, and it is part of the Pay-Khoi ridge which can be called a “continuation” of the Ural Mountains to the north. The observations were conducted in Krasnaya and Varkulyakha Rivers located in the island’s southern part and flow into the Yugorsky Shar Strait. Krasnaya River is located near a polymetallic ore deposit, which was developed in 1931–1934. Reconnaissance fieldwork was carried out in the river estuaries through measurements of salinity and water level. Measurements of the mass concentration of elements in the studied samples of sediments and algae were carried out by atomic emission spectrometry. The preparation of plant samples was by microwave decomposition, and that for samples of bottom sediments was carried out by acid decomposition in an open manner. The obtained concentration samples were compared using “Tukey exploratory data analysis (EDA)”. The presence of anomalies in the high content of copper, manganese, and zinc in filamentous algae at the control site in the Krasnaya River estuary was revealed. For some elements, the enrichment index was calculated relative to the upper part of the earth’s crust content. It is assumed that the occurrence of this situation is due to the long-term consequences of mining polymetallic ores. The accumulation of metals in river estuaries may be related to the observed warming of the climate in the western sector of the Arctic region.

Arctic rivers are receiving increased attention for their contributing of mercury (Hg) to the Arctic Ocean. Despite this, the knowledge on both the terrestrial release sources and the levels of Hg in the rivers are limited. Within the Arctic, the Barents region has a high industrial development, including multiple potential Hg release sources. This study presents the first overview of potential Hg release sources on Norwegian and Russian mainland draining to the Barents Sea. Source categories cover mining and metallurgy industry; historical pulp and paper production; municipal and industrial solid waste handling; fossil fuel combustion; and past military activities. Available data on Hg in freshwater bodies near the identified potential release sources are reviewed. Levels of Hg were occasionally exceeding the national pollution control limits, thereby posing concern to the local human population and wildlife. However, the studies were sparse and often unsystematic. Finally, we present new data of Hg measured in five Barents rivers. These data reveal strong seasonality in the Hg levels, with a total annual flux constituting 2% of the panarctic total. With this new insight we aspire to contribute to the international efforts of reducing Hg pollution, such as through the effective implementation of the Minamata Convention. Future studies documenting Hg in exposed Barents freshwater bodies are warranted.