Modeling of the Damage Sustained by Forest Coenoses and Their Destruction under the Impact of Point Contamination Sources

Abstract

This paper addresses novel approaches to the description of ecosystem changes under the impact of contaminants, depending on their local concentration and impact duration. It is shown that, with quite simple assumptions about the biotic effects of a contaminant, this process can be considered an environmental analog of a second-order phase transition. Data on forest ecosystems in the vicinity of major point sources of contamination (copper smelting plants) were used for the analysis and verification of the proposed model.