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We consider the usefulness of satellite data to estimate atmospheric instability and precipitable water vapor for the cases with severe convective events occurred over the European Russia and the Ural region. The initial sample includes 305 squalls, tornado, and large hail events. We evaluated the values of the instability parameter Lifted Index (LI) and precipitable water vapor (PW) using MODIS Atmospheric Profile Product data as well as the ERA5 reanalysis data. It was found that the median values of LI and PW according to the MODIS and ERA5 data are rather close, while the extreme values substantially differ. Local areas with very strong instability and high PW were identified from MODIS data, but not detected according to the reanalysis data. We found major limitations of the MODIS data associated with rather low frequency of imagery and the lack of information on the instability parameters for cloudy pixels. In particular, it reduced the sample size from 305 to 95 cases.

We discuss the results from measurements of aerosol physicochemical characteristics in summer 2021 in the Greenland-Kara sector of the Arctic Ocean (83rd and 84th cruises of RV “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh”). The studied characteristics included: the aerosol optical depth of the atmosphere, the aerosol and black carbon concentrations, as well as the chemical composition of aerosol samples, i.e., the concentrations of main elements, the concentrations of organic and elemental carbon, and the isotopic composition of carbon. For the most aerosol characteristics we noted lower average values as compared to the three preceding expeditions. Data from five expeditions are used to estimate the differences in the aerosol and black carbon concentrations among the Kara, Barents, Norwegian, and Greenland Seas.

The results of long-term (2007-2021) complex experimental studies of microphysical parameters, mass concentration and elemental composition of aerosol particles in the surface air layer of semiarid zones in the south of European Russia are presented. Background values of the daily average mass concentration of near-surface aerosols in the deserted areas of Kalmykia and dry-steppe zone of Rostov region are estimated for the hot summer period: 125 and 34 mg/m³, respectively. The particle size distribution functions typical for atmospheric aerosols of the regions under study are determined. The processes of aerosol particle removal are studied in connection with the main atmospheric processes. Insignificant variations in the mass concentration of only Cd, Hg, and Cu are revealed in aerosols in Rostov region. The elemental composition of Kalmykia aerosols is more variable in both natural and man-made elements, mainly in chemical elements of salt balance and heavy metals. It is shown that most elements are weakly accumulated in aerosols, and their differentiation depends more on the mosaic of the underlying surface. During the long-term period under study, a trend toward purifying the deserted territories of the south of European Russia from harmful atmospheric impurities is found, presumably as a result of reducing climate aridization and/or anthropogenic effect.

Microorganisms of atmospheric aerosols sampled at four stationary points with different anthropogenic load in Novosibirsk in the period from September 2020 to December 2021 are studied. Atmospheric aerosols were monthly sampled by atmospheric air filtration at reinforced Teflon membranes Sartorius for 12 h, with a two week lags. Under those sampling conditions, spore-forming bacteria of the genus Bacillus and cocci of the genera Staphylococcus and Micrococcus predominated among the cultured bacteria in winter. In the spring-summer and autumn samples of atmospheric aerosols, the concentrations and diversity of coccal forms, spore-forming and non-spore-forming bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi sharply increased. We have identified a significant number of hemolytic spore-forming bacteria and staphylococci, which are multi-resistant to antibiotics and have enzymes contributing to infectious process development.

The results of the study of pollen emission into the atmosphere of 24 anemophilic plant species and 3 entomophilic plant species for which optional anemophilia is possible are given. The percentage of clusters of two or more pollen grains of the total number of pollen particles entering the atmosphere is estimated. It is shown that such clusters were formed in significant quantities in all series of experiments. The percentage of pollen clusters attained ~ 71% of the total number of pollen particles, and of pollen grains in the clusters, ~ 94% of the total number of pollen grains.

Physicochemical and toxicological properties of biomass burning are of a big importance for assessment of wildfire impact on environment. However, the data on Siberian wildfires are much limited. The composition of Siberian biomass burning is studied in the Large Aerosol Chamber (LAC) of Institute Atmospheric Optics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (Tomsk). Here, we present FTIR spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography experimental data on composition of organic compounds in Siberian pine and forest debris smoke produced at smoldering and flaming phases and due to aging. Markers which allow identifying the combustion conditions and biomass type are established, namely, characteristic absorption bands, ratios of carboxyl and aliphatic functionalities, diagnostic ratios of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Emission factors and carcinogenic risk for smoke PAH are assessed.

The results of experimental and numerical studies of long-term atmospheric contamination of the cement plant environ in the Iskitim city of Novosibirsk region are discussed. The object under the study is the snow cover. There are the data of network measurements of hydrogen value (pH), ionic components, suspended matter content accumulated for winter 2018/19. The numerical reconstruction of the pollution fields was carried out using low-parameter models in the approximations of a light and monodisperse impurity. A statistical analysis of the relationship between the content of impurities in snow samples and the values of the snow index (NDSI) calculated from high-resolution satellite images was carried out.

This paper presents the results of the numerical calculation of gas filtration in a low-permeability gas formation with a fractured well. It is assumed that finite-conductivity filtering is described by Darcy law. The Peng-Robinson equation was used to take into account the dependence of the PVT properties of the gas on pressure. We studied the effect of fracture conductivity and formation permeability on the distribution of pressure and gas properties in a “fracture-formation” system and on the dynamics of pressure of the well and the gas production rate in the well during well-testing.

The mechanisms of the coagulation-based water purification using titanium-containing coagulants were studied. Investigation of colloidal systems formed during hydrolysis of traditional coagulants based on aluminium and iron compounds, as well as innovative and promising titanium-containing coagulants, was carried out. The surface characteristics (surface charge, specific surface area) of hydrolysis products of titanium compounds were determined under conditions close to those of the coagulation water purification. The surface characteristics of the products of hydrolysis of traditional and titanium coagulants were compared. It has been established that the hydrolysis products of titanium compounds carry a negative charge on their surface, and their surface that is extremely developed in comparison with traditional coagulants, which indirectly confirms their ability to adsorb pollutants. The sedimentation characteristics of the resulting hydrolysis products of various coagulants were studied. It was shown that the coagulation slimes formed as a result of the use of titanium-containing reagents have a larger flake size, which means they quickly settle to the bottom during settling. The increased efficiency of complex titanium-containing coagulants (Al-Ti) due to the phenomena of charge neutralization and nucleation on the surface of hydrolysis products of titanium compounds has been confirmed and scientifically substantiated. Evaluation of the efficiency of titanium-containing coagulants in the purification of drinking water from the Moscow water intake was carried out. It was found that in the purification of water from the surface water intake, titanium-containing reagents significantly exceeded traditional reagents in the effectiveness (a decrease in the content of suspended solids, colour index), and residual concentrations of titanium compounds in purified water meet the requirements of drinking water quality standards (0.1 mg/L). The sediments obtained with the use of titanium-containing coagulants were distinguished by an increased sedimentation rate and more readily gave up moisture during the filtration process, which would allow reduction of the dimensions of the treatment equipment.

Concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs) were determined, and comparative analysis of OCs in the bottom sediments of the Chernaya river, small lakes of the Baydar valley, the Sevastopol Bay and the Chernorechensky reservoir, sampled in 2008 and 2019-2020, was carried out. A noticeable difference in the levels of pollution with OCs in the river, lakes and the bay was detected. This concerns mainly such OCs as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), the content of which in sediments of the studied areas varied within a wide range - from 0.5 in lakes to 900 ng/g dry mass in the Sevastopol bay. Increased anthropogenic pressure on the river water area in the region of Baydar valley and in the estuary area has led to the formation of zones with the local maxima of the concentrations of PCB and organochlorine pesticides (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(chlorophenylethane), DDT) in the bottom sediments of the Chernaya river. In the Baydar valley, the sediments in lakes were on average less contaminated than river sediments, which is due to the isolation of lake ecosystems; they may be classified as non-polluted and weakly polluted. The maximal OCs concentrations were detected in the Sevastopol Bay. The ratio of DDT metabolites in the composition of organochlorine pesticides depended on redox conditions in bottom sediments: under anaerobic conditions of the Sevastopol Bay, DDT was transformed into DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane), under aerobic conditions in the river sediment - into DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene). Reconstruction of sedimentation geochronology using radiotracer methods shows that the variability of OCs content at different depths of fresh-water sediments depended on the temporally varying amounts of OCs income into the water areas but not on the natural conditions of sediment formation. According to estimates, at present, the runoff from the Chernaya river contributes not more than 14 % ∑DDT and 4 % ∑6PCB into the bottom sediments of the Sevastopol Bay.