Anthropogenic Pollution and Changes in Heavy Metals and Biogenic Compounds Levels in the Kurkuzhin River (2021–2022): a Tributary of the Central Caucasus

Abstract

An assessment of pollution in the small, non-glacial Kurkuzhin River, a right tributary of the glacial Malka River, was conducted by comparing data collected over a two-year observation period with standard maximum permissible concentration (MPC) values. Water quality was characterized according to established land surface water classifications. The analysis included elemental composition data for trace pollutants—Cr, Ni, Mo, Mn, Zn, and Pb—along with biogenic compounds such as NO₂^‒ , NO₃^‒ , and NH₄⁺. The study covered both the foothill and lowland zones of the Kurkuzhin, highlighting distinctive features of spatio-temporal pollution patterns and providing an environmental assessment of water pollution by year. The non-glacial waters of the Kurkuzhin River were classified as “consistently polluted” during 2021–2022.