Soil Characteristics of an Arctic City: Mineralogical and Chemical Composition, Pollution Risks and Toxicity Assessment (Novy Urengoy, Russia)

Abstract

Urbanization leads to multi-component environmental pollution, so it is especially important to conduct a comprehensive screening of transformations of vulnerable Arctic soils. An assessment of urban soil pollution in Novy Urengoy was conducted, providing a detailed geochemical characterization of the study areas. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of both rock-forming mineral inclusions and heterogeneous solid particles of various origins: ore minerals (sphalerite, galena, cinnabar, cassiterite, argentite, atacamite), finely dispersed silver and gold particles, Cu-Ni-Zn and Fe-Cr-Ti-Mn alloys, titanium plates, and microplastics. The content of petroleum and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is predominantly low, except for several sites near transport infrastructure, where petroleum hydrocarbon content reaches 2200–2400 mg/ kg and the sum of 15 PAHs achieves 84 μg/kg. Natural factors remain the leading drivers of soil chemical composition. Local exceedances of Russian regulatory standards for Zn were detected in transport and residential areas. The Cd-Pb-ZnCu-Ni association indicates pollution derived from motor vehicle emissions. In urban areas, residential development acts as an additional source of Ca-Mn-Co-Sr-Zn compounds. Calculation of the mean effects range median quotient (MERMQ) for contaminated soils revealed low and moderate risk levels. Biotesting using Daphnia magna, Chlorella vulgaris , and Lepidium sativum demonstrated acute toxicity in soils contaminated with PAHs and petroleum hydrocarbons. The integrated landscape total pollution index ( LTP ), based on the Harrington desirability function, confirmed that motor vehicles are the primary source of urban pollution.