History. The Laboratory of Hydrogeochemistry was established in 1991 with the guidance of Stepan Lvovich Shvartsev and assistance of Academician A.E. Kontorovich, first as part of the Tomsk department of Experimental Geophysical Research, and since 1992 as Tomsk branch of the Joint Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineralogy SB RAS, since 1997 – Tomsk Branch of the Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS. The laboratory name (and the scope of research, accordingly) also evolved from laboratory of hydrogeochemistry, then into laboratory of hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry, and finally into laboratory of hydrogeochemistry and geoecology. Until 2013, both the laboratory and entire Tomsk branch were headed by S.L.Shvartsev, Dr Sci (Geol-Mineral.), Laureate of the USSR State Prize, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, then his disciple Olesya E. Lepokurova, Candidate Sci (PhD) (geol.-mineral.) succeeded him as head of the Laboratory.
Scientific problem. The main line of research activities that has been developed by the Tomsk Branch IPGG SB RAS in recent years – geological evolution and self-organization of the water-rock system – was initiated and fostered by S.L. Shvartsev. This has provided fundamentally new opportunities for solving many geological and environmental problems, including new approaches to and mechanisms of the global evolution. The main research results and findings representing a thoroughly profound analysis of this system and its evolution arranged into a five-volume collective monograph titled "Geological Evolution and Self-Organization of the Water-rock System" and qualified as unmatched in the world. The two volumes that have been published to date are: The Crustal Water-rock System: Interaction, Kinetics, Equilibrium, Modeling (2005) - v. 1, and The Crustal Water-rock System in Hypergenesis Zone (2007) – v. 2. Scientists from different research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Siberian Branch of RAS (SB RAS), Far Eastern Branch of RAS (FEB RAS) and leading national higher education institutions were involved in preparation of this monograph.
Research staff. The Siberian Hydrogeochemical School of Thought created by S.L. Shvartsev was repeatedly supported by the grants of the President of the Russian Federation where more than 40 scientists from different cities (Tomsk, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok, etc.) are engaged. It has largely contributed to the training of scientific personnel. Over the period of three decades of the laboratory's existence, its research group members have defended more than 20 Cand. Sci (PhD) and doctoral dissertations.
Among the Laboratory staff are the winners of different awards: RF President grant for young candidates of sciences (PhD’s) (T.N. Silkina, 2002, D.A. Novikov, 2005, I.S. Ivanova, 2016), Laureates of the Tomsk region in science and education (E.S. Domrocheva, 1998, D.A. Novikov, 1998, 2004, O.E. Lepokurova, 2002, 2005, Yu.V. Kolubaeva, 2006), the Academician P.Y. Kochina youth award (D.A. Novikov, 2001, O.E. Lepokurova, 2008), A.A. Trofimuk award (D.A. Novikov, 2005), F.P. Savarensky award (S.L. Shvartsev, 2007) and many others.
The Joint Dissertation Council DM 212.269.03 founded on the base of Tomsk Polytechnic University, Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS and Tomsk State University is represented by O.E. Lepokurova who serves as its scientific secretary.
The research results of the laboratory staff are regularly published in peer-reviewed journals and journals indexed in the SCOPUS international databases and Web of Science. The laboratory researchers participate in projects supported by research funding programs of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Russian Science Foundation.
Field research activities. The 653 Expedition Team (the Verkhnyaya Ob basin) affiliated with the Laboratory hydrogeochemistry and geoecology has been supervised for many years by Evgeniya V. Domrocheva, Cand. Sci (geol.-mineral.). Its field activities focus primarily on geochemical monitoring of groundwaters along with water from rivers, bogs and lakes in the Tomsk and Kemerovo regions, the Republic of Gorny Altai (Katun river basin) and other adjacent territories during summer time.
The Laboratory partnership framework includes universities and academic institutions: Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk State University (including the Joint Dissertation Council), Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry RAS (Moscow), Institute of the Earth’s Crust SB RAS (Irkutsk), Far Eastern Geological Institute FEB RAS (Vladivostok), Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology SB RAS (Chita), Dobretsov Geological Institute SB RAS (Ulan-Ude), Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry SB RAS (Novosibirsk), and industry partners: Gazprom Dobycha Kuznetsk, Irkutsk Oil Company LLC, etc. The Laboratory staff participate in projects supported by the grants of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and Russian Science Foundation (RSF), in integration projects, and in activities under research agreements, etc.
International joint projects: “Scales and mechanisms of chemical elements removal from oligotrophic peat bogs” in partnership with French National Center for Scientific Research (the Geosciences Environement Toulouse, GET ); "Hydromineral resources of Siberia and Mongolia" with the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences; and "Nitrogen thermal waters" with the East China University of Technology (Nanchang).
Types of field works/ services conducted by the Laboratory researchers. In 2013, the laboratory was granted License No. Р/2013/2357/100/Л dated September 11, 2013 for conducting activities in the sphere of hydrometeorology and related areas (except
when such activities are carried out during geotechnical investigations required for : preparation of design documents, construction works, reconstruction of capital construction facility). These include:
determining the pollution level in water bodies from samples;
providing the analysis and estimation of the level of pollution in soils and water bodies;
compilation and maintenance of data banks on pollution of soils and water bodies
Practical activities of the Laboratory amount to :
Geoecological analysis of all types of pollutants in natural environments (air, land and water) and environmental monitoring of industrial sites, including oil and gas fields.
Scientific substantiation and evaluation of the state of sources of utility and drinking, as well as technical water supply, systems for reservoir pressure maintenance; utilization of the Laboratory’s software/ hardware facilities in
prospecting and exploration of groundwaters (by determining their optimal quality and resources) for development planning of oilfield infrastructure.
Assessment of groundwater reserves for domestic, drinking and industrial water supply; developing water intake projects.
Development of projects for the underground storage of industrial, technical and domestic wastewater from oil field operations and related facilities.
Numerical modeling (using HydroGeo, the proprietary accredited specialized software complex) of geomigration and hydrogeochemical processes in groundwater aquifers affected by oil and gas field operations and associated industrial activities.
Мухортина Н.А., Серебренникова О.В., Красноярова Н.А.Моделирование загрязнения природных систем // Материалы XXV Юбилейной Международной научно-практической конференции студентов и молодых ученых "Химия и химическая технология в XXI веке" имени выдающихся химиков Л.П. Кулева и Н.М. Кижнера, посвященной 100-летию со дня рождения профессора В.П. Лопатинского (г. Томск (20 - 24 мая 2024 г.) – Томск – P. 52-54 – 2024
Волкова Н.А.Влияние разлива дизельного топлива на органический состав донных отложений водных объектов и почв // Проблемы геологии и освоения недр: Труды XXVII Международного симпозиума им. акад. М.А. Усова студентов и молодых ученых, посвященного 160-летию со дня рождения академика В.А. Обручева и 140-летию академика М.А. Усова, основателям Сибирской горно-геологической школы (г. Томск, 03-07 апреля 2023 г.) – Томск – P. 214-215 – 2023
