Regional lake survey in the Barents region of Finland - Norway - Sweden and Russian Kola 1995 - results

The Euro-Arctic Barents Region includes Lapland County (Finland), Nordland, Troms and Finnmark Counties (Norway), the Norrbotten County (Sweden) and Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Counties and the Republic of Karelia (Russia). The three Nordic countries and Russian Kola carried out new national lake surveys in the fall of the 1995. Because of the special interest in the local resources in the Barents area, the Barents Secretariat has supported a project which evaluates the chemical properties of the lakes located within the Barents region in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russian Kola. In general, the lakes of the Barents region of the Nordic countries are less acid than the lake populations in the countries as a whole. The most acid lakes are found in Russian Kola, where also the organic carbon content is highest. The nitrate concentrations are generally lower in the Barents region than in the countries as a whole. This is in good agreement with the low N depositions in the Barents region. The critical loads of acidity in the Barents region are highest in Norway, while they are largely at similar levels in the other three areas. For Norway, the critical loads in the Barents region are substantially higher than for the whole country, because the most sensitive areas are located in southern Norway. For Finland and Sweden the opposite is the case. The critical loads are exceeded in the Barents region, the highest percentage are found in Russian Kola (14%) and Norway (12%), while Sweden shows the lowest percentage (3%). The data from the lake monitoring programs in the Nordic countries and Russian Kola show that the lakes in the area give a rapid response to reduced sulphur depositions. The planned reconstruction of "Pechenganikel" smelter will give a significant reduction in emissions of sulphur and heavy metals resulting in reduced adverse effects on the ecosystems in the area. It is important to continue environmental research and monitoring in the border areas. Such a programme is needed in order to study the reversibility of acidification and to what extent the actions will be sufficient.The Barents Secretaria