Research Facilities
Ivankovo Research Station
As a branch of Water Problems Institute, we focus on a wide range of scientific and practical issues of sustainable water use, water security (chemical and sanitary aspects), protection of water resources, analyzing long-term trends in water quality parameters and revealing potential risks to the ecological state of water bodies within the Upper Volga river basin. We also look at the recreational potential of rivers and lakes, self-purification processes, changes in water quality resulting from human disturbances in watersheds and riverine areas.
Historically, since 1975, our activity has been aimed at providing scientifically-based research in support of water-related administration, facilitating the decision-making process of water management, as well as consulting the public sector at both local and regional scales.
Our knowledge helps us to participate in various projects, federal programs and grants in collaboration with national and foreign researchers.
Among our partners there are:
-
Tver State University (Faculty of Geography and Geoecology)
-
Geographical faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University
-
Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences
-
Dubna State University
-
Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Department of Geoenvironmental Research, Polish Academy of Sciences
-
Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Some earlier and recent key projects and grants include:
-
Government program "Revival of the Volga River" (1996-1999)
-
Government program "Integration" on the ecological state and pollution of small rivers of the Tver and Moscow Districts (1997-1999)
-
Two grants (No. 98-05-79032k and No. 99-05-79028k) from the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research (RFFR) on the sensitivity of groundwaters to the impacts of diffuse pollution (1998-1999)
-
Grant (RFFR) No. 07-05-96414 for the research project on functioning of water ecosystems under the continuous pressure of human activities (2007-2009)
-
The project related to assessment of bathing waters pollution and associated impacts of recreational activities on the ecological state of water bodies for the purpose of regulation (2012-2014) within the framework of the Federal program "Development of the water management sector of the Russian Federation in 2012-2020"
-
The project related to abatement of water pollution caused by non-point sources in the Volga river basin (2018-2019) within the framework of the Federal project "Recovery of the Volga River"
Spatial coverage and water bodies
The Upper Volga river basin from its headwaters to the Uglich water-storage reservoir, including three lowland reservoirs: Verhnevolzhskoye, Vyshnevolotzkoye and Ivankovo (an important source of drinking water supply of Moscow), with the total watershed area of more than 41 000 km2, as well as several lakes, numerous small rivers and springs located in the Eastern European Lowland in Russia.
Areas of expertise and scientific activity:
-
hydrochemistry of surface and ground waters
-
the influence of nutrients and hazardous substances on the ecological state of small rivers, lakes and water reservoirs
-
assessment of human-induced pressures on water bodies
-
monitoring and evaluating point and non-point pollution caused by agriculture, urbanization, industrial sites and rural dwellings
-
bioindication of natural waters (phytoplankton and benthic invertebrates), experimental studies on water toxicity assessment
-
in-field sampling and laboratory-based analyses of water, snow, soil and sediments, computerized database maintenance