FORMATION OF THE CHEMICAL AND ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER UNDER CONDITIONS OF PERMAFROST DEGRADATION AND MAN-MADE IMPACT IN TERMS OF THE SALEKHARD URBAN AREA

Palamarchuk, V. A.^1,2, Tokarev, I. V. ³, Bashkova, A. A.^4,1, Lebedeva, L. S.⁵, Chezhina, E. P.⁶

1. Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Tyumen, Russian Federation)
2. Sergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation)
3. Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation)
4. Arctic Research Centre of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area (Salekhard, Russian Federation)
5. Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Yakutsk, Russian Federation)
6. Saint Petersburg State University (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation)

The article was received on July 5, 2025

Bibliographic description: Palamarchuk V. A., Tokarev I. V., Bashkova A. A., Lebedeva L. S., Chezhina E. P. Formation of the chemical and isotopic composition of surface and groundwater under conditions of permafrost degradation and man-made impact in terms of the Salekhard urban area. Arctic: Ecology and Economy, 2026, vol. 16, no. 2.

Abstract:  A study of the chemical and isotopic composition of surface and groundwater in Salekhard using modern and historical data allowed the authors to assess the impact of natural (permafrost degradation) and man-made factors on their quality. Some improvement in river water quality has been noted due to the modernization of the city’s wastewater treatment facilities. However, groundwater in the area is still under significant man-made impact. Thawing of permafrost over the past 50 years has led to the formation of water-bearing taliks in the fourth–terrace sediments and the migration of elements including Mn, Fe, Al, Ni and Pb from the sediments. 

Keywords: surface and underground waters of permafrost zone, macro-components, trace elements, stable isotopes, Salekhard, Western Siberia

Funding:  The study was supported by the State Assignment (no. FWRZ-2026-0016, IKZ TyumSC SB RAS) and R&D (no. 126020516689–6, IMZ SB RAS). Water chemical analyses were conducted by the GAU YANAO NCIA. Isotopic analysis was performed at the Centre for X-ray Diffraction Studies of Saint Petersburg State University within the framework of the project 125021702335-5.

Acknowledgements:
The authors are grateful to A. N. Shein and A. P. Ginzburg for their assistance with fieldwork.

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