The Chemical Composition of Water and Sediments of an Arctic Mountain Lake in the Zone of Influence of Sewage of Apatite-Nepheline Production

The article presents the results of studies of the chemical composition of water and sediments of the Arctic Mountain Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr, Murmansk Region, polluted by effluents of apatite-nepheline production. There is a clear vertical hydrochemical stratification in the water column of Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr due to the distribution of water flows in different layers from the two main tributaries. The values of pH and mineralization, the content of the basic ions, nutrients, organic matter and microelements in the bottom layer of the water column of Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr are 2–3 times higher than in the surface layer. An analysis of the vertical distribution of chemical elements in a sediment core with a thickness of 27 cm revealed a significant increase in the concentrations of elements (up to 15 times), supplied in increased concentrations with wastewater from enterprises extracting and processing apatite-nepheline production, in the upper 20-cm layer compared to the underlying layers. Production effluents enrich the water and sediments of Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr with alkali and alkaline earth metals (Li, Be, Na, K, Ca, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba), compounds of N, P, Mn, Fe, Al, rare earth elements, trace elements (Cu, Mo, Sn, Sb, Pb).