Monitoring of forest ecosystems in the Russian Subarctic: effects of industrial pollution

Results of long-term investigations carried out in the vicinity of large nickel enterprises in the Russian Subarctic are presented. Levels of air, precipitation, soil and vegetation pollution were estimated and zones of varying degrees of damage to forests as a result of industrial impact were determined over the area of the Kola peninsula. In the Norilsk region, these investigations are now in progress. For the Kola peninsula, the industrial impact on forests is generally restricted to a distance of 30 km from the emission sources. The highest levels of contamination are observed in the area adjacent to smelters. Methods for monitoring are discussed and the data on the response of coniferous trees to different levels of environmental pollution are presented.