Elena Zubkova, Ivan Belkin and Anton Dolgov, third-year students of the Faculty of Geography, majoring in Ecology and Nature Management, are on the Expedition of Ecological Monitoring of Lake Baikal.

Together with a team of scientists from MSU named after M.V. Lomonosov, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Institute of Ecology and Evolution A.N. Severtsov of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for almost two weeks, beginner ecologists from Irkutsk State University have been gathering and analyzing water samples, measuring environmental parameters.

Elena Zubkova, a member of the expedition:

Ecological monitoring of Lake Baikal is an important and demanding challenge. I was lucky to become a part of the scientific team that works on it successfully every year. I found myself in a team of experienced and dedicated people who were happy to share their knowledge and help in practice. I am very grateful for the opportunity to try to apply my skills in a real work, important and useful.

Hydrochemical analysis of samples helps to establish the anthropogenic influence on the composition and quality of water. By analyzing the dynamics of the concentration of certain substances in the waters of Lake Baikal, we can predict possible problems, which will help prevent it.

Water, soil and aquatic organisms have been sampled over the past 5 years within the framework of ecological monitoring. The samples are analyzed for the content of water chemistry, biogenic substances and heavy metals, as well as microplastics. Studies are being conducted on the problems of algae development and degradation of endemics (lubomirskia baikalensis, gammarus crustaceans). The expedition work was carried out on the eastern coast of Lake Baikal, including in the village of Maksimikha, in the delta of the Selenga River, on the territory of the Kabansky reserve, the village of Tankhoy, Slyudyanka and Baikalsk. Further plans include monitoring in the villages of Listvyanka, Bolshoye Goloustnoye, Bolshye Koty and Olkhon Island.

Lake Baikal ecological monitoring expeditions have been held since 2019 with the support of the En+ Group company.