ИСТИНА

The problem of storage of solid waste in the permafrost is particularly acute. It is associated with severe climatic conditions and permafrost, which is quite responsive to man-made impact.Causes of solid wastestoring problems in permafrost zone are following: weakness of ecosystems, waterproof properties of frozen rocks, and development of cryogenic processes. Many pollutant accumulators turn into a frozen (relatively stable) state, but the situation is complicated by climate warming trends. It is especially important for regions where hundred million m3of ore and coal wastes are stored in a сanned (frozen) state. We organized field studies dedicated to the waste accumulation problems and their negative impact on the environment in Norilsk Industrial Area, Vorkuta Industrial Center, Igarka, settlements in the lower reaches of the Ob River, national villages of Taimyr, etc. Field observations included assessment of the area of cluttering and the type of waste, in many cases - sampling for chemical analyses, thermometry, mapping of hazardous processes. 5 main types of waste storage were identified, each of which has specific features of the impact on permafrost soils and northern ecosystems as a whole: landfills of municipal solid waste, present in all settlements without exception; abandoned and littered areas, resulting from the reduction in the population of northern settlements; wood landfills (sawdust, bark, etc.) in the centres of the forest industry; industrial waste storages (slag dumps) in the industrial centres of the north; waste rocks in areas of ore mining, can be transformed into man-made rock glaciers in cold climate and mountainous terrains. The use of imperfect technologies for the extraction and processing of raw materials, the "legacy" of past years with disregard of the ecological situation, the lack of special standards for storing waste and industrial products, the undeveloped methods of waste disposal in harsh climatic conditions have led to pollution of vast areas, to the destruction of many ecosystems. This work was supported by the RFBR grant 18-05-60080 “Dangerous nival-glacial and cryogenic processes and their impact on infrastructure in the Arctic”.