THE CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL-NOOSPHERE STUDIES OF NAS

Presenter Dr. Lilit Sahakyan

PhD in geography Head of Environmental Geochemistry Department

UCD SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY, PLANNING AND

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

Dublin, July 10-12, 2013

Emission

Pollution

Concentration

and

accumulation

DISTURBANCE OF NATURAL

BALANCE OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

Eco-chemical assessment of sites

Geochemical survey and mapping

Environmental risk assessment

Revealing risk groups in the population

Hydrochemistry, surface water quality assessment

Environmental geochemistry and food safety

Ecotoxicology

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Main activities

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Geochemical survey and

mapping

Environmental risk assessment

Revealing risk groups in the

population

Hydrochemistry, surface water

quality assessment

Environmental geochemistry

and food safety,

Ecotoxicology

Main activities

URBAN

MINING

AGRICULTURAL

Heavy metals, Pesticides,

Dust …

Environmental Geochemistry Department

History

1989

1993

Institute of Geology

Ecocentre

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Staff

Founder DSc in geo.-mineralogy

Researcher PhD in biology

Junior researcher PhD student

Senior lab assistant PhD student

Lab assistant MSc in envir.

Lab assistant MSc student

Head PhD in geography

State budget

State grants

Governmental orders

Contract-based works

International grants and projects

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Finance

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research

One of the oldest cities of the world

2794 years old

on urban sites

Geochemical Status

Natural basis

Social

Economic

Political

Cultural

Dynamic transit systems; atmospher, water

Relatively stable deponent systems; soil, bottom sediments

URBAN SITES

Hand-made

Surfer

ArcView

…history… Maps of Heavy Metal Pollution of Yerevan’s Soil

Now

adays

Spectral

emission

Spectral

emission

…history… Maps of Heavy Metal Pollution of Yerevan’s Soil

Spectral

emission

Atom

absorption

Now

adays

<8

8-16

16-32

32-128

>128 Extrimaly high

Min

Low

Medium

High

1989 2002

Population

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1989 2002 1989 2002 1989 2002 1989 2002 1989 2002

<8 8-16 16-32 32-128 >128

Ï Ù2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60%

L E G E N D

SIP values, pollution and ecological

risk levels

57% of Yerenav’s population

live in conditions of high level

of pollution and high level of

ecological risk

A schematic map of Summary Index of Pollution (SIP) of Yerevan’s soil by heavy

metals (Pb, Ag, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mo, Cr, Co)

© The Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies

№ 141 kindergarden

entrance

Playing ground

● Ni(10.5)–Cu(9.0)–Zn(5.7)– As(3.2)

● Cu(12.3)–Ni(11.4)>Zn(5.3)– As(2.5)

● Zn(39.9)–Ni(10.1)–Cu(11.2)>As(4.6)

Ni(11.8)>Zn(6.2)–Cu(5.9)–As,Pb(2.1) ●

Zn,Cu(12.3)–Ni(11.7)>As(3.4) ●

● Cu(11.7)–Ni(11.5)>Zn(5.0)–As(2.4)

● M-1 ● M-2 ● M-3

● M-6 ● M-4 ● M-5

Assessment of Ecological

Status of Kindergartens

Y E R E V A N

Geochemical natural series of soils*

Zn(9,4)-Cu(2,9)-Co(1,8)

2002 Ag(32,0)-Pb(3,2)-Ni(2,3)-Cu, Mo(1,8)-Cr(1,6)-Co(1,5)-Zn(1,2)

1989

Pb(72,5)-Zn(33)-Cu(30,3)-Mo(14,7)-Ag(10,8)-Ni(6,9)-Cr(5,1)-Co(2,4)

Geochemical averaged man-made series of soils**

* Calculated by clark values

** Calculated by background values © The Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research

Fig. 1. Specialized geochemical schematic maps of Cu Mo, Zn and Pb contents on Armenia’s territory [14]

Specialized geochemical schematic maps of Cu Mo, Zn and Pb contents on Armenia’s territory (Saghatelyan, 2004)

on mining sites

K A J A R A N

K A P A N

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research on mining sites

SOTQ

ALAVERDI

© The Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies of NAS RA

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research on mining sites

Tailing repositories in Kajaran

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research on mining sites

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Research on mining sites

Hg3,31

mkg/L

EU - 1

M AC - 0,5

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

KFB-1 KFB-5 KFB-12 KFB-6 KFB-10 KFB-11

Hg

0,45

0,63

0,12

0,28

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

0,4

0,5

0,6

0,7

egg-

plant

beans pepper marrow beet

roots

beet

roots

cabbage dill basil

Vegetable and melon-field species Herbs

mg/kg raw matter

MAC 0.02

The contents of in some crops in water

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Application

Science

Government

Local and

State

Society

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Application

Master plan of the city

Plan of target tree planting

Research with health and gen

experts

Maps of Heavy Metal Pollution of Yerevan’s Soil

Research with geomorphologies

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Application

Dust load in Yerevan

Research with microbiologists

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Application

New Department

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Application

Spectral values of summary pollution with HM

Monitoring and early warning

system

Environmental Geochemistry Department

Now

Environmental Geochemistry Department

THANK YOU !