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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «NAUKI O ZEMLE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «EARTH SCIENCES»
ISSN 2073-3402 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Earth Sciences». 2026. Vol 56

Comparative Analysis of Soil Pollution in Urbanized Areas with Industrial and Recreational Specialization in the Kaliningrad Region

Author(s)

E. А. Arkhipov, S. I. Zotov, Yu. V. Koroleva

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russian Federation

Abstract
A comparative analysis of soil pollution with heavy metals and petroleum products in the cities of the Kaliningrad region with a contrasting economic specialization – the industrial city of Svetly and the recreational city of Svetlogorsk was carried out. In the course of seasonal monitoring in 2025, it was established that the soils of Svetly are characterized by focal pollution with the formation of stable geochemical anomalies, where the average level of pollution (NPI = 2.58) is determined by a significant accumulation of lead, zinc and oil products. For the soils of Svetlogorsk, a background level of heavy metals (NPI = 1.36) was detected with a spatially homogeneous distribution. The critical dependence of the assessment results on the choice of background values has been proven – the use of a local background established for the region made it possible to identify the true technogenic load. The integrated application of pollution indices (Igeo, PI, EF, NPI, PLI) has been shown to be effective for graded assessment of urbanized areas. The results of the work are of practical importance for the development of environmental monitoring systems and targeted environmental measures, taking into account the functional zoning of urban areas.
About the Authors

Arkhipov Egor Aleksandrovich, Postgraduate, Higher School of Living Systems Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University 2, Universitetskaya st., Kaliningrad, 236040, Russian Federation e-mail: egor.arhipov2000@gmail.com 

Zotov Sergey Igorevich, Doctor of Sciences (Geography), Professor of the Higher School of Living Systems Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University 2, Universitetskaya st., Kaliningrad, 236040, Russian Federation e-mail: zotov.prof@gmail.com 

Koroleva Yulia Vladimirovna, Candidate of Sciences (Geography), Associate Professor of the Higher School of Living Systems Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University 2, Universitetskaya st., Kaliningrad, 236040, Russian Federation e-mail: yu.koroleff@yandex.ru

For citation
Arkhipov E.А., Zotov S.I., Koroleva Yu.V. Comparative Analysis of Soil Pollution in Urbanized Areas with Industrial and Recreational Specialization in the Kaliningrad Region. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Earth Sciences, 2026, vol. 56, pp. 16-32. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2026.56.16 (in Russian)
Keywords
urbanized area, soils, heavy metals, background concentrations, pollution, pollution indexes.
UDC
504.054(470.26)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2026.56.16
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