Environmental Problems of the Verkhoyansky Region
The article discusses the necessity for complex environmental research in Verkhoyanskiy region. It is well known that modern global climate changes that occur at high latitudes of the Earth cause well-founded fears of not only specialists, but also the general public. Climatological forecasts indicate a further, so-called polar increase in global warming throughout the 21st century. In this regard, the most significant objects of scientific research should be not only climatic challenges in the Arctic, but also environmental risks in the economic development of its territories. The article presents the materials of long-term studies of the IAEN NEFU in the Verkhoyanskiy region. At the same time, problems of accumulated environmental damage in the surrounding areas of Batagai village raise extra concerns of specialists. First of all, we are talking about abandoned objects of the mining industry -processing plants tailing pounds of the Soviet period, including tailing pound of Batagai processing plant №418, where in the 1940-1970-ies an active enrichment of tin-bearing ores of Ege-Khaiinskiy and Kesterskiy deposits was conducted. This dangerous technogenic object is located in close quarters of Yana river and adjoins to Batagai village. Many elements of the 1st and 2nd hazard classes significantly exceeding the MAC were found in the composition of sands of this tailing dump. The second important issue is associated with the active destruction of permafrost landscapes on the slopes of mountain uplands of the Yansk plateau as a result of technogenic and anthropogenic influences on the background of climatic changes in recent years. The article presents research materials on two natural sites - Batagaika and Ulakhan-Sylbyncha. Despite the local nature of anthropogenic disturbances of ecosystems, currently they are actively degrading, resulting the destruction of land cover, activation of thermokarst, thermo-erosion, thermo-denudation and other processes, etc. In this regard, in the modern realities associated with the intensification of the development of the mining industry, a new stage and a new level of research and understanding the state of Arctic ecosystems are needed to reasonably build their sustainable development strategy. A well-coordinated program of comprehensive scientific research in the territory of this Arctic region of Yakutia is required under the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Head Decree No.2 dated 27/09/2018 "On the environmental well-being of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)".