Leading limnologists (limnology - the science of the physical, chemical and biological aspects of lakes and other fresh water bodies - approx. "Lenta.ru") of the planet, together with Russian researchers from the Institute of Biology of Irkutsk State University (ISU) are concerned about the acceleration of the ecological crisis on Lake Baikal. The corresponding report was published in the journal Nature on Thursday, October 6.
Climatic changes and pollution of the coastal waters of Lake Baikal are changing the entire ecosystem of the unique lake. In some areas of Baikal, there is an intensive development of filamentous algae Spyrogira, toxic cyanobacteria, as well as a massive disease of rare species of endemic Baikal sponges.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that the scientific programs of ecological monitoring of the lake carried out on Lake Baikal are on the verge of stopping.
Since February 1945, the Institute of Biology of Irkutsk State University has been carrying out a unique project of ecological monitoring of Lake Baikal with a weekly assessment of the state of plankton inhabiting the lake's water column. According to scientists, it is information about the state of plankton communities that is the main indicator of the state of the entire ecosystem of the lake.
The importance and significance of the data obtained is confirmed by the fact that among the specialists studying the lake, the project for long-term monitoring of Lake Baikal received the unofficial name "Point No. 1". It is thanks to these record 70-year observations that it was possible to identify long-term trends in ecosystem changes, and also to establish that in recent years there has been an accelerated restructuring of the main communities of the lake.
Researchers are sure that long-term and continuous observations of the Baikal ecosystem are crucial for its preservation. The cost of monitoring is just over four million rubles a year, which is incomparable with the scale of the ecological and economic value of Lake Baikal. However, to date, almost no money has been allocated to continue monitoring, and the program is on the verge of closure.
Lake Baikal is the largest reservoir of liquid fresh water in the world. Since it is inhabited by endemic (characteristic only for this ecosystem) organisms, the reservoir is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. At the same time, its ecological state is threatened by both the influence of global climatic changes and local human activities.