Studying the Volga R. in the voyage of the R/V Akademik Topchiev

Abstract

The expedition for studying the Volga R. was organized by the Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Inland Water Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, with the participation of the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry on the r/v Akademik Topchiev (June 2–18, 2016). The main objective of the expedition studies of the Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, was to examine the sedimentation and biogeochemical processes in the mixing zone of the Volga and its tributaries with the aim to assess the present-day water quality and trends in its changes in the recent years. In this context, the study was focused on the aerosols of near-water layer, surface water, and bottom sediments along the route the Rybinsk Reservoir (Borok Settl.)–Lower Volga (Astrakhan C.). The methodology was based on a multidisciplinary study of dissolved compounds and suspended particles (<1 μm). The main attention was focused on studying the spatial variations of biogenic substances, organic compounds (Corg in suspension and solution), the suspension itself, and hydrcarbons.