• Objectives:

Aim of this project is to develop a tool to quantify the risks of excess inputs of heavy metals to agricultural and forest ecosystems. Such a tool will contribute to establish pollution control measures (e.g. emission reductions). Geographically the accent will be put on agricultural and forest ecosystems of the Northern (Kola Peninsula) and Central (Upper Oka-river basin) parts of Russia. The project includes the following tasks:

1. Investigation of key processes which determinine metal behaviour in agricultural and forest ecosystems: uptake by plants, partitioning between soil and soil solution, and complexation of heavy metals with DOC;
2. Critical limits, expressed in terms of metal concentration or activity in pore water will be obtained for microorganisms in the field and with laboratory experiments. Critical limits for crops will be based on the existing food quality standards;
3. Combined effects of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and acidic compounds will be investigated with a biogeochemical model. Special attention will be put on the forest ecosystems of Kola Peninsula, which are affected by air pollution from nickel processing industries during several decades;
4. Critical loads of heavy metals and their exceedances for agricultural and forest soils in Kola Peninsula and in the Central European part of Russia will be calculated and mapped on the basis of the developed methods. Areas with risks for ecosystems health and for exceedance of food quality standards for crops will be indicated.

• Publications:

• Koptsik G.N., Nalbandyan K.F. 2002. Pollution of soils and plants by nickel and copper near the Pechenganikel smelter in the Kola Peninsula // Moscow University Soil Science Bulletin 57 (4).
• Koptsik, G.N., Koptsik, S.V., Livantsova, S.Yu., Nalbandyan, K.F., Fedorov, I.D., Chernyavskii, A.G. 2003. Spatial variability of podzol properties in forest ecosystems under air pollution impact. Moscow University Soil Science Bulletin 58 (2).
• Koptsik G.N., Eruslankina L.V., Livantsova S.Yu., Koptsik S.V. Effects of air pollution on underground vegetation in forest ecosystems of the Kola Peninsula. Moscow University Soil Science Bulletin (accepted).
• Koptsik, S.V., Koptsik G.N., Eruslankina L.V. Ordination of plant communities in forest ecosystems in the Kola Peninsula under air pollution impact // Russ. J. Ecol. (accepted).
• Koptsik, S., Koptsik, G., and Eruslankina, L. Heavy metals in subarctic forest ecosystems: soil pollution and impacts on plant diversity. In: Second AMAP International Symposium on Environmental Pollution of the Arctic, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1-4 October, 2002. A Proceeding of the Extended Abstracts.
• Koptsik, S., Koptsik, G., Livantsova, S., Fedorov, I., Eruslankina, L., Zhmelkova, T. Heavy metals in soils near the nickel smelter: chemistry, spatial variation, and impacts on plant diversity. Ecologic, Toxicologic and Human Health Issues Associated with the Mining, Refining and Production of Nickel and Companion Elements. Abstracts of the Sixth International Nickel Conference, September 1-6, 2002. Murmansk, 2002. P. 114.
• Koptsik G., Koptsik S., Livantsova S., Eruslankina L., Zhmelkova T. Effects of air pollution from nickel processing industry on boreal forest ecosystems. 7thICOBTE. Uppsala, June 2003 (accepted).
• Koptsik S., Koptsik G., Ermakov I. Spatial variation of heavy metals in contaminated soils near the Nickel Smelter. 7thICOBTE. Uppsala, June 2003 (accepted).
• Eruslankina L., Koptsik G. Accumulation of heavy metals by fine roots in pine forests near the nickel-copper smelter. 7thICOBTE. Uppsala, June 2003 (accepted).

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• Addresses of contact persons:

  Dr. J.E. Groenenberg	ALTERRA Green World Research (Wageningen University and Research centre) Droevendaalse steeg 3, P.O. Box 47 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands Tel: 31 (0)317 474362 Fax: 31 (0)317 424812 E-mail: BertJan.Groenenberg@wur.nl
  Dr. Galina Koptsik	Soil Science Faculty, Moscow State University Moscow 119899, Russia Tel: +7 495 939 35 73 Fax: +7 495 939 09 89 E-mail: koptsikg@mail.ru
  Dr. Serguei Koptsik	Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University Moscow 119892, Russia Tel: +7 495 939 11 45 Fax: +7 495 939 59 07 E-mail: koptsik@phys.msu.ru

Address of this page: http://soil.msu.ru/projects/nwo02/