White Sea: environmental problems of the sea

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

The natural border of the Russian Federation from the north is the Arctic Ocean. Once it was called the Icy 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, a difficult ecological situation is developing on the territory of this entire natural zone. We will take a closer look at the White Sea. Environmental problems are made up of a number of factors. Among them are climate change, political uncertainty, hunting.

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

Localization of the White Sea

Although itbelongs to the Arctic Ocean, the sea is located inside the mainland, off the northern coast of Russia. Salinity reaches 35%. It freezes over in winter. Through the straits Gorlo, as well as the Funnel, it connects to the Barents Sea. With the help of the White Sea-B altic Canal, ships can pass to the B altic Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea. This route was called the Volga-B altic. Only a conditional straight line imitating the border separates the Barents and White Seas. The problems of the sea require an immediate solution.

Firstly, animals, including marine ones, are massively exterminated, biological resources are disappearing. Some representatives of the fauna that lived in the conditions of the Far North simply disappeared.

Secondly, the state of the soil is changing, which goes into a thawed state from permafrost. This is a global warming cataclysm, 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 carried out under the label of extreme secrecy, so it is difficult for scientists to understand the true damage and extent of pollution resulting from atomic impacts. These are the main problems of the White Sea today. The summary of this list is known to the whole world, but little is being done to address them.

The position of Russia and other countries

The first problem - the extermination of animals - was taken under state control at the end of the last century, when a moratorium was introduced on the capture of animals, birds, fish. This greatly improved the state of the region. At the same time, the glob althe problem of ice melting, as well as nuclear pollution, is quite difficult for one state to influence. The coastal region and the entire White Sea suffer from these factors. The problems of the sea will intensify in the near future due to the planned extraction of gas and oil in the ocean. This will lead to additional ocean water pollution.

The fact is that the territories of the Arctic Ocean still do not belong to anyone. A number of countries are engaged in the division of territories. Therefore, it is quite difficult to resolve the issues that have arisen. At the international level, two questions have been raised: the economic use of the bowels of the Arctic and the ecological state of the Arctic Ocean. Moreover, the development of oil and carbon deposits, unfortunately, is a priority. As long as the states are passionately dividing the continental shelves, nature is experiencing more and more problems, the biobalance is being disturbed. And the timing when the world community will begin to deal with the accumulated issues has not yet been set.

Russia looks at the ecological situation of the state of the Northern Basin as if from the outside. Our country is concerned only with the coastline of the north and the White Sea. Environmental problems cannot arise in just one area - this is an issue that should be approached globally.

What is the priority?

When developing oil fields, people contribute to an even greater deterioration of the environmental situation. Neither the depth of the wells, nor their number, nor the fact that the region can be classified as environmentally hazardous does not stop. It can be assumed that oil mines will be built simultaneously inlarge quantity. The wells will be located at a short distance from each other and at the same time belong to different countries.

The consequences of nuclear testing can be eliminated, and this really needs to be done, but in the conditions of the north it is quite expensive to carry out cleanup measures due to permafrost conditions. In addition, countries have not yet been given legal responsibility for these areas. The environmental problems of the White Sea are best studied. Briefly, the committee under the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia tried to present them, while predicting the main development trends.

Permafrost

The border 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 by 80 km. Today, the volume of perpetual icing is decreasing 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 takes place by driving piles into the permafrost layer. If the average annual temperature rises by at least a couple of degrees, then the bearing capacity of such a foundation is halved. Underground oil storage facilities and other industrial facilities are also at risk. Roads and airports could also be affected.

When glaciers melt, there is another danger associated with an increase in the volume of northern rivers. A few years ago, it was assumed that their volume would increase by 90% by the spring of 2015, which would cause abundantfloods. Floods are the cause of the destruction of coastal areas, and there is also a risk when driving along highways. In the north, where the White Sea is, the problems are the same as in Siberia.

Deep Transforms

Methane gas released from the soil during the melting of deep glaciers is also dangerous for the environment. Methane leads to an increase in the temperature of the lower layers of the atmosphere. In addition, gas adversely affects the he alth 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 permafrost area by almost 40%. The ice thickness has almost halved. However, there are also positive aspects. At the south pole, melting ice causes earthquakes due to the spasmodic 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 leadership of the Ministry of Emergency Situations decided to equip two expeditions to Novaya Zemlya, the Novosibirsk Islands and the ocean coast.

Dangerous new project

The construction of hydraulic structures, such as power plants, also greatly affects the ecological situation. Their construction refers to a large-scale impact on nature.

On the territory of the White Sea there is the Mezen TPP - a tidal power plant - affecting both the water and the geographic and ecological environment of the landparts. The construction of a TPP leads, first of all, to a change in the natural circulation of waters. When building a dam, part of the reservoir turns into a kind of lake with a different oscillation and current.

What are environmentalists afraid of?

Of course, in the process of designing the complex, engineers are already able to predict the impact on the local biosystem, the White Sea. Marine problems, however, more often appear only during industrial operation, and engineering surveys are working on the ecology of the coastal area.

When the PES starts working, the wave energy will decrease, as well as the impact on the drift of ice fields, the flow regime will change. All this will lead to a change in the structure of sediments on the seabed and coastal zone. It should be noted that the geography of the deposit plays an important role in the biocenosis of the system. During the construction of the power plant, the mass of coastal sediments will be transferred to the depths in the form of suspension, and the entire White Sea will suffer from this. Environmental problems will worsen, since the shores of the northern seas are not environmentally friendly, therefore, when it gets to the depth, the coastal soil becomes a cause of secondary pollution.

Problem is like a spoonful of s alt in the sea

Studying the ecosystem of the Arctic today is the key to a prosperous state of nature in a few decades. Part of the coast along the Arctic Ocean was subject to greater study, such territory includes, for example, the White Sea. The problems of the Laptev Sea have not yet been studied. That is why, quite recently, one smallexpedition.

The scientists were sponsored by the Rosneft oil company. Employees of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute went on the expedition. Forty scientists made up the crew of the Dalnie Zelentsy ship. The purpose of the mission was announced by its leader 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 both small fish and birds, as well as large animals such as polar bears and whales, live in the Laptev Sea basin. It is assumed that the legendary land of Sannikov is located in the basin of this northern reservoir.

According to the organizers of the campaign, such work with such a serious volume has never been carried out before in the Arctic.