Laboratory for Water Quality, Stability of Water Ecosystems and Ecotoxicology

• Wide scale field work has been conducted and a database has been created that is called «Hydrochemical characteristics and concentration of microelements in surface waters of natural and anthropogenically disturbed areas of Western Siberia».
• Complex hydrologic, hydrochemical, hydrobiological, ichthyological and landscape-geochemical research of drainage basins and structural basins of 17 lakes in various natural zones of Western Siberia (from tundra to steppe).
• A method to forecast changes in quality of water and state of water ecosystems under impact from climate change based on a combination of neo- and paleoecological methods.
• A model has been proposed for ejection of oil hydrocarbons from oil and gas carrying drainage basins of small rivers. On the basis of this model we have assessed critical parameters of load laying on drainage basins of small rivers at oil and gas fields of the northern part of Western Siberia.
• We have created a monitoring program for quality of surface waters of the region and a strategy of water utilization in industrial centers and preservation of high quality of water in life support systems of the region.
• The Laboratory has studied molecular, genetic and cellular disturbances in living organisms, adaptive adjustments of populations and communities under impact of ecotoxicants.
• Our researchers have found unusual concentration of nitrogen compounds in waters of small lakes of Western Siberia and conducted a factor analysis of formation of water quality in each of the natural zones of the region that allowed to detect the most important environments, processes and phenomena defining quality of water in Western Siberia.
• Our researchers have found differentiation in resistivity of waters against impact from acids across various natural zones. We have given an estimate of overacidulation of waters and enrichment with metals in geographical longitudinal zoning.
• We have compiled a map of contamination sources of the Tymen region (1:1000000 scale).
• A complex method of field and desktop study of quality of continental waters and state of water ecosystems has been implemented into scientific and educational process.

Implemented results of research:

• The database of chemical structures of surface waters is used for modernizing and optimizing systems of industrial ecological monitoring at licensed oil and gas extraction fields.
• Data on distribution of heavy metals and microelements in floor sediment columns is used in designing sapropel deposits ensuring ecological and geochomical safety of using this raw material in agriculture.
• Technologies of cleaning river waters from oil hydrocarbons has been implemented at oil and gas fields to prevent contamination of big volumes of huge volumes of natural water during emergencies on oil pipes.

Education and career development:

• 3 doctoral dissertations and 5 candidate dissertations have been defended. Every year 5 masters dissertations and up to 15 bachelor dissertations in the Laboratory's research domain are defended.
• We have conducted the «Biogeochemistry of water environments» of the International school and seminar for young researchers «Biogeohemistry of chemical elements and substances in natural environments» (Tyumen, 2018).
• Using the research conducted by the Laboratory we have modernized courses and study plan for the following disciplines: «Ecological hydrology», «Ecological monitoring», «Ecological geochemistry», «Securing water resources», «Water utilization management: regional and global aspects», «Hydrochemistry», «Chemistry of the environment», «Zoology», «General ecology», «Geoecological basics of sustainable water utilization», «Geoecology of oil and gas producing regions» for masters and bachelors.
• We have organized and conducted the «AquaDay» for junior schoolchildren, middle and high school students used results of our research to prepare their submissions for «Ecology of living space», and «A step into the future» and other competitions.

Organizational and structural changes:

A significant part of our work is conducted in collaboration with the Laboratory of Ecological Research of the Tyumen State University. This allowed to broaden analytical capabilities of our Laboratory and to optimize numbers of our employees that are involved in analytical work.