Indication of Aquatic Landscapes Salinization Rate

The salinization of freshwater represents one of the most serious threats to global aquatic ecosystems and associated biodiversity. Particular attention in the context of aquic landscape salinization was paid to bottom sediments, which act not only as indicators but also as active accumulators of salts. Understanding the mechanisms of bottom sediment salinization under natural and anthropogenic impacts, their consequences, and potential recovery strategies is critical for development of the effective water resource management and conservation strategies. This review examines the problem of aquatic landscape salinization in the taiga zone, using the Upper Kama region (Perm Krai, Russia) as a case study. This is an area with developed mining industry, where one of the most important challenges is the reclamation of posttechnogenic territories. The following data are presented: (1) global statistics on freshwater salinization; (2) salinization indicators; (3) regional characteristics of salt load; (4) multidisciplinary approach to characterize the salinization processes. This study demonstrates that the aquatic complexes of posttechnogenic territories are the integrated dynamic systems requiring the innovative approaches for mitigating salt pollution and rehabilitation of these areas.