Major and trace elements content in freshwater lakes of Vecherny Oasis, Enderby Land, East Antarctica.

In the article the results of major and trace elements investigation in freshwater lakes of Vecherny Oasis (Enderby Land, East Antarctica) are considered. Water sampling was carried out during seasonal Belarusian Antarctic expeditions in 2011-2017. Totally 22 water samples from four lakes, three temporal ponds and one water course were collected for major and trace elements determination. The total concentrations of Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Th, Tl, V, W, Zn in all samples as well as more than 40 additional trace elements in 3 samples from lakes were determined using ICP-MS method. It is shown that increase of heavy metals concentration (Cd, Pb, Zn, Sb, Co, Ni, Se, Mn) and As in the lakes compared to temporary ponds can be explained by anthropogenic impact including previous human activity in the oasis in late 1970th - early 1990th. The maximum concentrations of a number of technophilic elements (Pb, Mo, Mn, V, Sb, Zn) in Lake Nizhneye are possibly connected with the its lowest hypsometric location in catchment and the drainage of the territory impacted by past and present human activity.