ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE DNIPRO RIVER'S LARGEST TRIBUTARY WITHIN UKRAINE

Abstract

Problem statement. Water resources play a leading role in various aspects of human life. Water is needed for domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes not only in Ukraine, but also in the world. Ecological monitoring is used to obtain a holistic picture of the current ecological condition for large administrative-territorial units in the industrialized countries of the world, in particular Ukraine, even with the gradual reduction of industrial potential. Therefore, the article analyzes the qualitative composition of the surface water body, namely the Desna River, the largest tributary of the Dnieper, within Ukraine, to determine changes in its ecological status. Possible causes of its pollution are determined. A statistical and systematic analysis of changes in the ecological status was carried out based on the data of the interactive map «Monitoring and environmental assessment for water resources of Ukraine» by the State Agency for Water Resources of Ukraine in the period from January 2012 to December 2020. Data on water intake control from four posts within the Desna River were investigated. The content of the main indicators: ammonium, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and sulfates were analyzed. The purpose of the article. Determination of new temporal-spatial and seasonal patterns of water quality change in the surface water body according to the main indicators. Possibility to use the obtained results as initial data for the development of influence mechanisms on the ecological state of the surface water body in the conditions of the basin principle for water resources management. Conclusions. Analyzing the results of the research for the period from 2012 to 2020, we can note the tendency to deteriorate the ecological condition of the Desna River within Ukraine. The cause of this phenomenon is the man-made load on surface water bodies: the Desna River and its tributaries. New temporal-spatial and seasonal trends of 2020 for changes in the distribution of the main indicators: ammonium ions, nitrates and nitrites, sulfates, phosphates, along the Desna River within Ukraine for the possibility of using the results as a source for implementing the basin principle of water resources management in further research. For the Desna River, it is advisable to establish additional observation points for a more detailed presentation of the ecological status of the surface water body between posts 2−3, 4–5 and 5–6, as in these areas the Desna River has left and right tributaries.