Industrial Activities

The following map inventories the most important industrial sites in the area of interest, together with a selection of important human activity sites. Some industrial centres located outside the regional investigation frame exist also in the general area.

PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIAL AND HUMAN ACTIVITY SITES (Map: P. de Caritat)Map showing a selection of industrial and human activity sites within the study area. Actual activity sites may be within the towns mentioned or in their surroundings. Sources: Kozlov et al. (1993), Tuovinen et al. (1993), Nilsen & Bøhmer (1994) and Bogatyrev et al. (in prep.). Towns of Kirkenes (K), Nikel (N), Monchegorsk (M), Murmansk (Mu) and Zapoljarniy (Z) are also identified.

The city of Murmansk is the largest township (ca. 460,000 inhabitants) of the study area. The County of Murmansk, which includes all of the Kola Peninsula and covers all but a southernmost sliver of the Russian sector of the regional study area, has approximately 1.1 million inhabitants. The main industries of the region are fishery, mining and smelting (Nilsen & Bøhmer, 1994; see also Photo Gallery: Industry).

The Kola Peninsula sector is the area with the second largest SO₂ emission north of the Arctic Circle, with a release to air of 600 million kg SO₂ per year at the end of the 1980's, surpassed only by the Norilsk area (2200 million kg SO₂ emitted per year) (Tuovinen et al., 1993). Dust, SO₂, CO, NO₂ and other emissions from several industrial sites in the Kola region were estimated by Kryuchkov (1993a). The Table below lists some of the top SO₂ emitters in the area (data from Kryuchkov, 1993a; Sivertsen et al., 1993):


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SO₂ emissions (in million kg)
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Monchegorsk (R):   196.2  (in 1991)
Nikel (R):         189.8  (in 1991)
Zapoljarniy (R):    67.6  (in 1991)
Apatity (R):        28.2  (in 1991)
Murmansk (R):       25.1  (in 1991)
Olenegorsk (R):      5.2  (in 1991)
Severomorsk (R):     5.1  (in 1991)
Kemi (F):            4.3  (in 1990)
Kandalaksha (R):     3.8  (in 1991)
Kovdor (R):          3.7  (in 1991)
Kirovsk (R):         3.2  (in 1991)
Kemijärvi (F):       1.1  (in 1990)
Kirkenes (N):        0.8  (1985-90)
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F: Finland; N: Norway; R: Russia
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It is estimated that cumulative, historical emissions of SO₂ to the atmosphere amount to a staggering 6.5 million tonnes from 1960 to 1994 from the Monchegorsk smelter alone! Since 1971, sulphur-rich ore from Norilsk commonly has been smelted on the Kola Peninsula, thereby sharply increasing stress on the local environment. However, SO₂ emissions from the Monchegorsk industrial centre have been declining between ca. 1983 and 1990 (Kryuchkov, 1993b).

References:
- Bogatyrev, I. et al., in prep. Map of human activities on the Kola Peninsula.
- Kozlov, M.V., Haukioja, E. and Yarmishko, V.T. (Eds.), 1993. Aerial Pollution in Kola Peninsula. Proc. Int. Workshop (14-16 April 1992, St.-Petersburg), Kola Scientific Centre, Apatity, Russia, 417 pp.
- Kryuchkov, V.V., 1993a. Environment of the central part of the Kola Peninsula: relief, climate, soil, vegetation, emission sources. In: Kozlov, M.V., Haukioja, E. and Yarmishko, V.T. (Eds.), Aerial Pollution in Kola Peninsula. Kola Scientific Centre, Apatity, Russia: 12-15.
- Kryuchkov, V.V., 1993b. Degradation of ecosystems around the «Severonikel» smelter complex. In: Kozlov, M.V., Haukioja, E. and Yarmishko, V.T. (Eds.), Aerial Pollution in Kola Peninsula. Kola Scientific Centre, Apatity, Russia: 35-46.
- Nilsen, T. & Bøhmer, N., 1994. Sources to radioactive contamination in Murmansk and Arkhangel'sk counties. Bellona Report, 1, 162 pp.
- Sivertsen, B., Pedersen, U. & Schjoldager, J., 1993. Avsetning av svovelforbindelser på Nordkalotten (Deposition maps for sulphur in northern Finland, Norway and Sweden, in Norwegian). Norsk institutt for luftforskning (Norwegian Institute for Air Research) NILU Report, OR 5/93, 19 pp.
- Tuovinen, J.-P., Laurila, T., Lättilä, H., Ryaboshapko, A., Brukhanov, P. & Korolev, S., 1993. Impact of the sulphur dioxide sources in the Kola Peninsula on air quality in northernmost Europe. Atmospheric Environment, 27A: 1379-1395.