Impact of Hydrocarbon Emissions from Oil and Gas Deposits on δ[sup.13]C Variability in Pine Tree Rings from the Tatarstan Republic

• Published in: Forests 2023-10, Vol.14 (10)
• Main Authors: Churakova (Sidorova), Olga V, Batalin, Georgii, Gareev, Bulat, Mingazov, Gazinur, Terekhin, Andrey, Tishin, Denis, Kuzina, Dilyara, Nurgaliev, Danis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Emissions (Pollution); Environmental aspects; Hydrocarbons; Petroleum; Physiological aspects; Pine; Reserves; Tree-rings
• ISSN: 1999-4907; 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f14102093

Human-caused anthropogenic greenhouse emissions impact the climate globally. In this pilot study, we aim to reveal the influence of hydrocarbon emissions on pine forests by applying a stable carbon isotope analysis in pine tree rings (δ[sup.13] C[sub.ptrw] ). Our study was conducted in an industrial giant oil field reservoir (UVRT) and natural reserve (Raifa) sites, the Tatarstan Republic, Russia. Our results show a decreasing δ[sup.13] C[sub.ptrw] at the UVRT site in 1943, when oil extraction started, and in 1970, when it reached maximum production. We found that the δ[sup.13] C[sub.ptrw] from UVRT indicates developing unfavourable drier conditions and a suppressed tree growth caused by both human-induced oil and deposit infrastructures and natural processes compared to the undisturbed Raifa site. A 5-year running correlation analysis showed a significant difference between the sites in 1965 over the period of 1930 to 2021. The δ[sup.13] C[sub.ptrw] values from Raifa are more negative compared to UVRT, which can be explained by a higher forest sensitivity to human-induced impacts. From an eco-physiological point of view, the decreasing of intercellular (c[sub.i] )-to-ambient (c[sub.a] ) CO[sub.2] concentration ratios at the leaf level and the increasing of intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) along with a decreasing of tree-ring widths at the UVRT site (1970–2021) indicate the development of drought conditions.