White Sea: environmental problems of the sea

The natural boundary of the Russian Federation from the north is the Arctic Ocean. It was once called the Student Sea, or the Polar Basin. Today, the ocean basin includes six seas, which are officially called the Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi. Unfortunately, on the territory of the entire natural zone there is a serious ecological situation. We will take a closer look at the White Sea. Environmental problems are made up of a number of factors. Among which are climate change, political uncertainty, hunting.

The sea covers an area of more than 90 square kilometers and reaches a depth of 350 m. It is here that Solovetsky, Morzhovets, Mudyugsky Islands are inextricably linked with the history of our country. The first of these is the famous Solovetsky Monastery.

Localization of the White Sea

Although it refers to the Arctic Ocean, the sea is located inside the continent, off the northern shores of Russia. Salinity reaches 35%. In winter it freezes. Through the Straits of the Throat, as well as the Funnel connects with the Barents Sea. With the help of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, vessels can pass to the Baltic Sea, Azov, Caspian, and Black. This route was called Volga-Baltic. Only a conditional direct line imitating the border divides the Barents and the White Sea. The problems of the sea require an immediate solution.

Firstly, animals are massively destroyed, including marine animals, biological resources disappear. Some representatives of the fauna, living in the extreme North, simply disappeared.

Secondly, the state of the soil changes, which passes into the unfrozen state from permafrost. It is a global cataclysm of warming, as a result of which glaciers are melting. Thirdly, it is in the North that a number of states conduct their nuclear tests. Such activities are conducted under the label of extreme secrecy, so it is difficult for scientists to understand the true damage and the extent of pollution as a result of atomic influences. These are the main problems of the White Sea today. The summary of this list is known throughout the world, but little has been done to solve them.

The position of Russia and other countries

The first problem - the extermination of animals - was taken under state control as early as the end of the last century, when a moratorium on the capture of animals, birds, and fish was introduced. This significantly improved the state of the region. At the same time, it is rather difficult to influence a global problem of melting ice, as well as nuclear pollution. From these factors, the coastal region and the entire White Sea are affected. The problems of the sea in the near future will increase due to the planned production of gas and oil in the ocean. This will lead to additional pollution of the ocean waters.

The matter is that the territories of the Arctic Ocean still do not belong to anyone. A number of countries are busy dividing the territories. Therefore, it is rather difficult to solve the problems that have arisen. At the international level, two issues are raised: the economic use of the bowels of the Arctic and the ecological state of the Arctic Ocean. And the development of oil-and-carbon deposits, unfortunately, is a priority. While states with passion share the continental shelves, nature is experiencing more problems, the biobalance is being violated. And the timing, when the world community begins to deal with accumulated issues, has not yet been delivered.

Russia looks at the ecological situation of the state of the North Basin as if from the outside. Our country is worried only by the coastline of the north and the White Sea. Ecological problems can not arise only on one site - this is a question that should be approached globally.

What is the priority?

When developing oil deposits, people contribute to an even greater deterioration of the ecological situation. Do not stop the depth of the wells, nor their number, nor the fact that the region can be classified as environmentally hazardous. It can be assumed that oil mines will be built in large numbers at the same time. Wells will be a short distance from each other and at the same time belong to different countries.

The consequences of nuclear tests can be eliminated, and this really needs to be dealt with, but in the north, to carry out the cleaning measures is quite expensive because of permafrost conditions. In addition, while countries have not established legal responsibility for these areas. The ecological problems of the White Sea were best studied. Briefly, they tried to present the Committee under the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia, while predicting the main development trends.

Permafrost

The boundary of the Siberian permafrost in its western part is constantly shifting due to global warming. Thus, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, in 2030 it will move 80 km. Today, the volume of perennial icing is reduced by 4 cm per year.

This can lead to the fact that in Russia in fifteen years the housing stock of the north can be destroyed by 25%. This is due to the fact that the construction of houses here occurs by driving the piles into a layer with permafrost. If the average annual temperature rises by at least a couple of degrees, then the bearing capacity of such a foundation is reduced by half. Dangers are also exposed to underground oil storage facilities and other industrial facilities. Roads and airports can also suffer.

With the melting of glaciers, there is another danger associated with the increase in the volume of northern rivers. Several years ago it was expected that their volume by the spring of 2015 will increase by 90%, which will cause abundant floods. Floods are the cause of the destruction of coastal areas, and there is also a risk when driving along highways. In the territory of the north, where the White Sea is, the problems are the same as in Siberia.

Deep transformations

For ecology, methane gas, which is released from the soil during the melting of deep glaciers, is also dangerous. Methane leads to an increase in the temperature of the lower layers of the atmosphere. In addition, gas adversely affects the health of people, local residents.

In the Arctic over the past 35 years, the volume of ice has decreased from 7.2 million to 4.3 million square kilometers. This means a reduction in the permafrost area by almost 40%. The thickness of the ice was reduced almost twofold. However, there are also positive aspects. At the south pole melting ice is caused by earthquakes because of the abrupt nature of melting. In the North this process is gradual, and the overall situation is more predictable. To ensure the safety of residents of the northern territories, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has decided to equip two expeditions to Novaya Zemlya, the Novosibirsk Islands and the ocean coast.

A new dangerous project

The ecological situation is greatly affected by the construction of hydraulic structures, such as, for example, power plants. Their construction refers to a large-scale impact on nature.

On the territory of the White Sea is Mezenskaya TPP - tidal power station - affecting both the water and the geographic and environmental environment of the land. The construction of PES leads, first of all, to a change in the natural circulation of water. When a dam is being built, a part of the reservoir turns into a kind of lake with a different swing and current.

What do environmentalists fear?

Of course, in the process of designing the complex, engineers are already able to predict the effect on the local biosystem, the White Sea. The problems of the sea, however, are more often manifested only during industrial exploitation, and engineering surveys work on the ecology of the coastal area.

When the PES will work, the wave energy will decrease, as well as the effect on the drift of the ice fields, the flow regime will change. All this will lead to a change in the structure of the sediments on the seabed and the coastal zone. It is worth noting that the geography of sediment plays an important role in the biocenosis of the system. When building a power plant, the mass of coastal sediments will be transferred to the depth in the form of suspended matter, and the entire White Sea will suffer from this. The problems of the environment will become tougher, as the coasts of the northern seas are not environmentally friendly, so when it comes to the depth, the coastal soil becomes the cause of secondary pollution.

The problem is like a spoon of salt in the sea

The study of the ecosystem of the Arctic today is the key to a successful state of nature in several decades. Part of the coast along the Arctic Ocean was subject to more study, for example, the White Sea. The problems of the Laptev Sea have not been studied so far. That is why recently one small expedition was equipped here.

The oil company Rosneft sponsored the scientists. The expedition was sent by the staff of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. Forty scientists were the crew of the ship "Dalnie Zelentsy". The purpose of the mission was voiced by its head Dmitry Ishkulo. According to Ishkulo, the priority was to study the links of ecosystems, to obtain information about the ecological and biological state of the sea.

It is known that on the territory of the Laptev Sea basin both small fish and birds live, as well as large animals such as polar bear, whale. It is assumed that it is in the basin of this northern pond that the legendary Sannikov land is located.

According to the organizers of the campaign, such works with such a serious volume have not been conducted before in the Arctic.