The work was performed at the Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS. Researchers from the Laboratory of Hydrogeology of Sedimentary Basins of Siberia investigated groundwaters in the Arctic regions within the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
According to them, permafrost strata occurs almost ubiquitously in this area. The chemical composition and contamination of groundwater largely depend on where exactly the aquifer occurs in relation to the permafrost column. The quality of groundwaters is largely compromised by mineral mining in these areas.
What specifically was the object of research?
The researchers used results and materials from case studies of the Glavtyumengeologiya group of companies. The specialists of IPGG SB RAS analyzed data from more than 200 water wells (from 7 to 150 meters deep).
The study was based on the analyses of water samples from wells drilled within the areas of : large oil and gas and oil and gas condensate fields; settlements of Tazovsky, Krasnoselkup and Sidorovsk (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District); villages of Goroshikha and Farkovo, as well as the city of Igarka (Krasnoyarsk Territory).
The researchers have established three types of the investigated groundwaters: Type 1 one is the suprapermafrost waters which occur above the permafrost table and are the closest to the surface; Type 2 is the intrapermafrost waters which form within the limits of the frozen formation, or occurs between two layers of permafrost, of which the lowest is exposed by drilling; Type 3 is subpermafrost, or permafrost contacting, waters (the aquifer occurs directly beneath the permafrost base).
What conclusions have IPGG researches arrived at?
According to the researchers, the chemical composition of all types of groundwater in the studied areas is highly diverse. The concentrations of manganese, aluminum, and silicon are significantly enhanced, with the content of iron is shown to be as many as ten times in excess of the normal concentration. Besides, the maximum permissible concentration for ammonium and petroleum products is exceeded in all types of waters, which primarily accounts for man-made pollution.
Suprapermafrost waters contain numerous pollutants (lead, chromium, fluorine, mercury, arsenic, selenium, benzapyrene), which belong to the first and second hazard classes. In waters referred to as intrapermafrost and subpermafrost, the average values of oxidizability, mineralization, hardness, iron, aluminum and manganese are found to be higher than in suprapermafrost waters. At this, concentrations of pollutants tend to decrease, thus suggesting that these layers are more confined, i.e. protected from surface pollutants.
– In the study areas of the permafrost regions, the quality of fresh groundwaters almost everywhere fails to comply with Russian drinking water supply standards, the researchers concluded.
The research was supported by project FWZZ-2022-0014 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Published by IPGG Press Service
For more detail, please, see the article by :
Sukhorukova A.F., Maksimova A.A., Yandola N.I. (2025). Hydrogeochemistry of the upper cryolithozone of the West Siberian and Yenisei-Khatanga artesian basins conjunction zone. Geology and Mineral Resources of Siberia, No. 1 pp. 55–63