The Importance of Coarse Colloids in the Migration of Chemical Elements and the Assessment of the Quality of River Waters in the Russian Far East

Authors

  • Vladimir M. Shulkin Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34753/HS.2025.7.3.259
+ Keywords

river waters, coarse, large and submicron colloids, dynamic light scattering, dissolved, colloidal and suspended forms of chemical elements, Russian Far East, Amur River, Kolyma River, Ussuri River

+ Abstract

The study characterized the content of coarse colloids, consisting of large (0.05–0.45 μm) and submicron (0.45–1.2 μm) fractions, determined by dynamic light scattering in the rivers of the boreal and arctic zones of the Russian Far East. Analysis of filtrates obtained after filtration through membranes with different pore sizes by the ICP-MS method allowed to determine the concentration of chemical element forms from Li to U in fractions <0.45 and <1.2 μm. It was confirmed that major cations, as well as Li, Sr, Ba, Mo, U migrate mainly in dissolved and small colloidal forms. At the same time, for a number of trace elements (Li, Ba, U, V), submicron migration forms have been detected, the concentration of which is controlled by the content of submicron colloids (0.45–1.2 μm). A significant correlation between the content of large colloids and the concentration of hydrolysates (Fe, Al, Ti, REEs, Zr, Hf, Th) in filtrates <0.45 μm indicates a frequent dominance of large colloidal forms in the migration of these metals in river waters of the Russian Far East. For the same hydrolysates, forms associated with submicron colloids were found in concentrations equal to or greater than in filtrates <0.45 μm. Direct information on the content of large and submicron colloids allows a more accurate assessment of water compliance with quality standards for hydrolysates, for Fe and Al, first of all. The content of large and submicron colloids in river waters depends on the amount of suspended matter and its grain size composition, which in turn are determined by the hydrological and water regimes of the rivers, as well as by the landscape features and underlying rocks of the catchment areas. Among the rivers studied with similar water regimes, the maximum content of coarse colloids was found in the Ussuri River basin, a right tributary of the Amur R., draining mountain-taiga landscapes, with high proportion of swampy areas. A diminished content of coarse colloids was observed in the Kamchatka, Tumannaya, and Kolyma rivers with enhanced proportion of silt particles in the suspended solids.

+ Author Biographies

Vladimir M. Shulkin

D.Sc. (Geography), Chief Researcher, Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia, SPIN-code: 7364-0320, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4610-2582,
e-mail: shulkin@tigdvo.ru.

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Published

2025-12-15

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2025): Hydrosphere. Hazard processes and phenomena

Section

Conference materials

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Copyright (c) 2025 Владимир Маркович Шулькин

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How to Cite

Shulkin, V. M. (2025). The Importance of Coarse Colloids in the Migration of Chemical Elements and the Assessment of the Quality of River Waters in the Russian Far East. Hydrosphere. Hazard Processes and Phenomena, 7(3), 259-273. https://doi.org/10.34753/HS.2025.7.3.259