Research Laboratory of Lake Science
Staff
The Research Laboratory for Lake Science was founded in 1973 as an industry-specific Research Laboratory of Lake Science. The Laboratory develops scientific and pedagogical school of limnology, created by Doctor of Geography, Professor Olga Filippovna Yakushko, is developing in the laboratory. Currently, the laboratory has 6 employees: 1 Doctor of Geographical Sciences, professors, 2 senior researchers, 2 junior researchers, 1 trainee junior researcher.
Main areas of research:
- genesis of lakes and paleolimnology;
- use and protection of natural resources;
- study of modern processes occurring in ecosystems (hydrological, hydrochemical characteristics, conditions for the formation and accumulation of bottom sediments, species composition and quantitative development of hydrobionts (higher aquatic vegetation, algoflora, zooplankton and benthos), thermal regime of lakes in a changing climate;
- problems of anthropogenic impact on lakes, their pollution and artificial eutrophication.
Laboratory staff were the executors of a number of domestic and international scientific and scientific and technical programs of various levels and under grants from domestic and international funds: UNDP "Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the project titled “Scheme of the integrated territorial organization of the Myadel administrative district”, CEI-KEP "Development of decision-making support systems for integrated water resources management in Belarus”, TACIS/ICWS "Western Dvina River Basin Management Project" (W. Dvina in Belarus, Monitoring), "Wetlands International", "Wetlands Inventory of Belarus", BRFFR international projects ( Belarus-Lithuania, Belarus-Latvia-Estonia, Belarus-Russia, as well as “Implementation of the National Environmental Monitoring System of the Republic of Belarus”, MPFI “Impact”, SPNI “Natural Resources and Landscapes”, SPSR “Natural Management”, SPSR “Natural resource potential”, SSTP “Natural resources and environment”, SPSR “Chemical technologies and ma materials, natural resource potential”, SPSR “Natural resources and their rational use”.
During 2017 - 2022 Laboratory staff took part in the following international projects:
- “Interregional spatio-temporal correlation of the development of the environment of the southern periphery of the Valdai (Poozerskoe) glaciation in the Late Glacial and Holocene”, jointly with the Russian State Pedagogical University im. A.I. Herzen.
- "Baltic Sea Region Climate Change Curriculum" (A climate change education project 2019 – 2021). The project was funded by “Seed funding for cooperation projects in the Baltic Sea region” from the Swedish Institute.
UNESCO grants, 2017 – 2020:
- The role of lakes in Belarus in the input of greenhouse gases in the regional climate context. UNESCO Project No. 8290115042 BYE, 2017-2018
- Assessment of natural potential and identification of opportunities for creating geoparks in the Republic of Belarus. UNESCO Project No. 9290116041, 2019-2020
The most important scientific developments:
- The stages of development of lakes in Belarus in the late Pleistocene and Holocene were determined; the stages of changes in lakes under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors were identified; an assessment of the main types of natural resources of the lakes of Belarus was carried out, the nature of their distribution by natural and economic regions was revealed, maps of the provision of Belarus with natural resources of lakes (water, recreational, mineral) in the context of administrative districts and regions were developed; a genetic classification of small lakes, a natural and economic classification of lakes had been developed; the methodology of the assessment of lakes of the Republic of Belarus was carried out, sedimentogenesis was studied and a classification of lake deposits based on the chemical composition and content of organic matter was proposed; types of lakes by overgrowth was developed; the features of anthropogenic impact on lake ecosystems were revealed.
- A system of indicators and integral indicators of a comprehensive geoecological assessment of the natural resource potential of lake basins and a model of ecological and economic balance and development of the “catchment-lake” system were developed, a basic logical model and methodology for geoecological assessment of the PRP of anthropogenically disturbed lake basins were developed, as well as schematic diagrams of restoration technology PDP of lake basins; recommendations for the economic and recreational use of lakes, for the protection and rational use of higher aquatic plants, guidelines for the use of higher aquatic plants for assessing and monitoring the state of the aquatic environment.
- Reference books, data banks and information-reference systems for the lakes of Belarus were designed (using GIS technologies).
A methodology for calculating the stability and vulnerability of lakes in Belarus to external influences was developed, typization of lakes was carried out, and a scheme for zoning the territory of Belarus according to these indicators was created.
Contacts
16 Leningradskaya Street, Minsk 220030, Belarus
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