Abstract: The subject of this study is the analysis of the informativeness of various methods for mapping air pollution based on data obtained from snow geochemical studies. This text discusses the shortcomings of conventional maps of chemical element concentrations in the solid residue of snow. It compares such maps and maps of daily pollutant deposition and seasonal concentrations, calculated by considering the area and depth of test pits and the mass of the solid residue on filters. These cartographic materials supplement the previously conducted interpretation of snow geochemical studies' results in one of Irkutsk's isolated areas. It demonstrates that cartographic materials reflecting the amounts of incoming pollutants per unit of time per unit area are more accurate in assessing the ecological situation, as they allow for a more complete and correct characterization of the geoecological environment. The study aims to optimize the fastest and cheapest methodology for snow geochemical research, based on X-ray fluorescence analysis of the solid phase of the snow cover. It has been shown that geostatistical processing of the results of chemical-analytical studies is equally significant for obtaining reliable cartographic material as correctly conducted field and laboratory work. The effects of geochemical anomaly inversion in areas with high dust loads are presented for the first time. Additionally, based on previously obtained field data, new geoecological information has been generated that allows for a more complete and qualitative visualization and subsequently explains the nature of atmospheric pollution in one of the areas of the Baikal region with a complex nature of anthropogenic load, which has drawn the constant attention of residents and environmental control authorities for years. General methodological conclusions permit the finalization of the rapid assessment methodology for atmospheric pollution based on sampling seasonal snow and X-ray fluorescence analysis of snow dust, which, in the authors' opinion, should become one of the fundamental components of the system for assessing the background state and environmental monitoring of Arctic geosystems before and during their economic development, thereby replacing traditional methods of instant monitoring of atmospheric air quality.

Abstract: The subject of the work is the development of a methodology for snow geochemical research for effective express assessment of air quality under technogenic influence from various industrial sources that shape complex environmental pollution, as well as the creation of an informational and cartographic basis for further ecological monitoring of a significant area in the Baikal region. By examining a detailed assessment of atmospheric pollution in the area of the construction of the "Vostochniy" ecotechnopark, a comparative analysis of the informativeness of cartograms showing the distribution of pollutants in snow water and solid residue is conducted. The surveyed area contains various sources of technogenic impact, ranging from metallurgical enterprises to heat energy generation facilities; thus, this case excellently illustrates the advantages of the snow geochemical survey method as the most representative way to assess atmospheric pollution in the tasks of ecological monitoring in "winter" regions, mitigating ecological risks from new mining projects in the northern part of Eurasia, and controlling industrial activities in cities with a persistent snow cover. Optimizing this type of geoecological research is a highly relevant task. Seasonal snow samples were collected, and the snow water was melted and filtered to separate soluble and insoluble forms of pollutants. A chemical analysis of the snow water and solid residue was performed. Element associations corresponding to various sources of impacts were determined. Cartographic materials characterizing the distribution of pollutants across the area were presented. The research allows for a clear comparison of results obtained using the traditional, yet costly, methodology for analyzing snow water through precision chemical-analytical methods such as ICP-AES/MS, and through an express and inexpensive methodology for analyzing solid residue using non-destructive analysis (XRF). It was shown that the latter method is also quite informative, allowing for a detailed characterization of the geoecological situation over a significant area with minimal costs, identifying and mapping zones with abnormally technogenic conditions in the atmosphere. As a result, the most detailed spatial characterization of air pollution in the area of Usolye-Sibirskoye is provided, which is a constant focus of attention from state ecological control authorities as a rehabilitated site of accumulated environmental damage and simultaneously a promising production site. The described methodological approaches are applicable to a wide range of geoecological situations in regions with prolonged winters.