Preliminary results of the Volga Basin Boat University expedition

This year’s trip started on June 21 and concluded in late July.

Apart from KFU students and employees, the boat was also boarded by representatives of Volga State University of River Transport, Nizhny Novgorod State University, and Moscow State University. Of the five young people dispatched by KFU, two were international students.

“The expedition was funded by the Russian Geographical Society. Several teams worked on various research projects, including anthropogenic eutrophic influence, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and chemical quality of water,” explains Chair of the Department of Environmental Engineering Nafisa Mingazova. “We conducted physicochemical measurements, collected bottom sediments and studied the zoobenthos. The Nizhnekamsk Water Reservoir has omnipresent water blooming, but it’s not particularly intensive. In the vicinity of the city of Kazan, the water is yellowish and has poor clarity.”

As the scientist notes, the zoobenthos has become poorer since the last major monitoring of 2010. Zebra mussel populations, which usually serve as filter feeders, have become less numerous.

“In many places, heavy silty sapropel deposits were noted, which are characteristic of stagnant water bodies,” laments Mingazova. “The reservoir amasses the polluting matter, and maybe it’s time to talk about cleaning it. If our observations are further confirmed, we may prepare appropriate proposals to the authorities.”

 

Source text: Rufina Gimaletdinova

Photos: Nafisa Mingazova, Volga State University of River Transport

Translation: Yury Nurmeev