Head of Radioecology Laboratory, PhD AgriScs
Contact:
Phone: +375 232 512 234
E-mail: nikitin@irb.basnet.by, nikitinale@gmail.com
Scientific interests:
radiobiological and radioecological effects of the Chernobyl accident, biodiversity, spatial structures and productivity of forest biogeocenoses, transformation of forest communities in man-altered environments, mathematical modeling of ecosystem’s structures and productivity, behaviour of contaminants (incl. radionuclides), computerized image recognition of biological objects, automated processing of microscopic images.
Background:
Graduated in 1998 from Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, Biology Faculty, Department of Plant Botany and Physiology. While a uni student, his research projects were supervised by Prof. Valetov and were focused on the identification of the regularities in biodiversity transformation, biological productivity and spatial structures of sub-layered forest vegetation affected by anthropogenic factors.
Upon graduation, was accepted for a position of an engineer at the Forest Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. In 1999, took up his home institute’s postgraduate course in Forest Management, Wildfires and Fire Prevention. In 2004, defended his AgriScs PhD thesis on “Formation of carbon stock in pine cultured phytocenoses of Belarus” (Supervisor: Acad. V. Ipatyev). While working with the Forest Institute, was being gradually promoted starting from 2002 through to 2006 from a position of junior researcher (Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Soil Science) to researcher (Forest Ecology Sector) to senior researcher of Laboratory of Soil Problems and Remediation of Anthropogenically Disturbed Lands.
In August 2006, was transferred to IRB in a position of a Scientific Secretary.
A head of Radioecology Laboratory since 2011. Supervises a number of national R&D programmes and projects, domestic and international contracts.
A first-ever researcher in Belarus to assess the role of the forest sector in the carbon dioxide balance and propose an action plan to increase the role of forest ecosystems in preventing global climate change caused by the greenhouse effect.
For the sake of automated processing of microscopic images, he developed a technology for the identification and localization of cells using SIFT algorithm and an application for quantitative characterization of biological objects in atomic force microscopy.
Based on the array of continuous empirical observations, created a simulation model of atmospheric distribution of radionuclides in fire events. Despite the fact that, according to the simulation outcomes, severe wildfires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone (Polesye Reserve) can play a significant role in spatial redistribution of transuranic radionuclides in the long term (i.e. centuries), they are not likely to contribute to the public exposure doses from inhalation of plutonium isotopes and radioactive cesium even in the most immediately adjacent areas.
In the framework of the State Program on Overcoming the Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster, Nikitin and his team were involved in studying the behaviour of transuranic elements (isotopes of plutonium and 241Am) in terrestrial ecosystems of the Chernobyl resettlement (aka exclusion) zone and assessing their contribution to the dose load on biota.
Under the national research programme “Chemical Materials and Technologies, Environment and Natural Resources”, his team, in cooperation with Belarusian State University, identified the main factors affecting biological availability of heavy, including radioactive Pb, Cd, U, Ra etc., metals in sod-podzolic soils and developed the framework of how to determine their migration abilities in the topsoil and identify most critical in accumulation components of biogeocenoses.
Currently cooperates with EM Research Organization (Japan) in testing remediation techniques for radionuclide-contaminated lands with the use of microbial soil conditioners. Moreover, is developing soil-improving conditioners to be used for improved soil fertility and remediation of anthropogenically disturbed lands.
Publications:
Никитин А.Н., Степанчик В.В., Валетов В.В. Особенности развития подпологовых ярусов лесных биогеоценозов в условиях техногенного загрязнения (= Specifics of the development of sub-layers of forest biogeocenoses under conditions of technogenic contamination, in Russian) // Лесо-экологические и ботанические исследования юго-востока Беларуси. – Мн, 1997. – С. 13–17.
Никитин А.Н., Степанчик В.В. Предварительная оценка роли болотных сосняков в депонировании углерода (= Preliminary assessment of the role of marsh pine forests in carbon sequestration, in Russian) // Проблемы лесоведения и лесоводства. Сборник научных трудов Института леса Национальной академии наук Беларуси. – Гомель: ИЛ НАН Беларуси, 1999. – Вып. 50. – С. 227–232.
Никитин А.Н. Изменение углеродной функции лесных насаждений под влиянием техногенного загрязнения (= Change in the carbon function of forest plantations under technogenic contamination, in Russian) // Сахаровские чтения 2003 года: экологические проблемы XXI века. Материалы международной конференции ведущих специалистов, молодых ученых и студентов. Минск, 19 – 20 мая 2003 г. – Минск, 2003. – С. 269.
Nikitin A., Czerepko J., Boczon A. Threats of alder swamp forests in a changing environment // Anthropogenic influence on wetlands biodiversity and sustainable management of wetlands. – Warsaw: Warsaw Agricultural University Press, 2005. – P. 21. – P. 33.
Nikitin A.N. Simulation modelling of production processes in pine forests (In Russian.). PNAS, Biol. Series, 2006; no. 1; P. 37–40.
Bondar, Yu.I. Model assessment of additional contamination of water bodies as a result of wildfires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone / Yu.I. Bondar, A.D. Navumau, A.N. Nikitin, J. Brown, M. Dowdall // Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. – 2014. – Vol. 138. – P. 170—176.
Kalinichenko, S.A. Spatial Distribution of 90Sr in the Ecosystems of Polesye State Radiation-Ecological Reserve / S.A. Kalinichenko, A.N. Nikitin, I.A. Cheshyk, O.A. Shurankova // Strontium contamination in the environment / eds. P. Pathak, D.K. Gupta. – Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020. – P. 121–140.
Чешик, И. Новые почвоулучшающие добавки для загрязненных радиоактивным цезием земель (= Novel soil conditioners for cesium-contaminated lands, in Russian) / И. А. Чешик, А. Н. Никитин // Наука и инновации. 2019. – №3. – С.21–25. https://doi.org/10.29235/1818-9857-2019-3-21-25
Калиниченко С.А. Особенности латерального перераспределения 137Cs, 90Sr, 241Am в поверхностном слое почвы геохимически сопряженных ландшафтов при значительном для белорусского Полесья перепаде высот (= Specific features of lateral redistribution of 137Cs, 90Sr, 241Am in the topsoil of geochemically linked landscapes in significant elevation differences typical for Belarussian Polesye, in Russian) / С. А. Калиниченко, Ю. И. Бондарь, А. Н. Никитин, В. Е. Белаш, А. А. Баленок // Известия Гомельского государственного университета имени Ф. Скорины. – 2019. – Т. 114, № 3. – С. 29–35.
Nikitin, A.N. Impact of effective microorganisms on the transfer of radioactive cesium into lettuce and barley biomass / A.N. Nikitin, I.A. Cheshyk, G.Z. Gutseva, E.A. Tankevich, M. Shintani, S. Okumoto // Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. – 2018. – Vol. 192. – p. 491–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.08.005.
Спиров, Р.К. Конверсионные дозовые коэффициенты трансурановых элементов для растений зоны отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС (= Conversion dose coefficients of transuranium elements for plants in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl NPP, in Russian) / Р.К. Спиров, А.Н. Никитин // Медико-биологические проблемы жизнедеятельности. – 2018. – Т. 20, № 2. – С. 52–57.
Nikitin, A. Influence of electromagnetic radiation of extremely high frequency on sensitivity of plants to cold stress / A. Nikitin, D. Suhareva, E. Mishchenko, A. Zubareva, O. Shurankova, R. Spirov // IEEE Xplore Digital Library. – IEEE, 2018. DOI: 1109/ELMECO. 2017. 8267732
Никитин, А.Н. Содержание 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu и 241Am в экспериментах диких копытных животных, обитающих в зоне отчуждения Чернобыльской АЭС (= Concentrations of 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu and 241Am observed in experiments on wild hoofed animals in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl NPP, in Russian) / А.Н. Никитин, О.А. Шуранкова, И.А. Чешик, С.А. Калиниченко, Р.А. Король // Радиационная биология. Радиоэкология. – Т. 58, № 2. – С. 166–173. DOI: 7868/S0869803118020054
Nikitin, A.N. Potential of Biochar as a Measure for Decreasing Bioavailability of 137Cs in Soil / A.N. Nikitin, O.A. Shurankova, O.I. Popova, I.A. Cheshyk, R.K. Spirov // Remediation Measures for Radioactively Contaminated Areas / ed: D. Gupta, A. Voronina. — Springer, Cham., 2018 – p. 113—137. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73398-2_6.
Kalinichenko, S. A. The Behavior of 90Sr in Macrophytes Inhibiting Water Reservoirs in the Belarussian Sector of the Chernobyl NPP Exclusion Zone. // S.A. Kalinichenko, A.N. Nikitin, I.A. Cheshyk, O.A. Shurankova // Behaviour of Strontium in Plants and the Environment / D. K. Gupta & W. Clemens (Eds.). – Springer, 2018. – P. 125–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66574-0_9
Спиров, Р.К. Аккумуляция трансурановых элементов надземными и подземными органами сосудистых растений (= Accumulation of transuranium elements by underground and aboveground organs of tracheophytes, in Russian) / Р.К. Спиров, А.Н. Никитин, И.А. Чешик, Р.А. Король // Доклады НАН Беларуси. – 2017. – Т. 61, № 2. – С. 51–57.
Спиров, Р.К. Оценка дозовой нагрузки трансурановых элементов на отдельные виды биоты Полесского государственного радиационно-экологического заповедника (= The assessment of radiation exposure of transuranium elements on some species of the biota of Polesie State Radioecological Reserve, in Russian) // Р.К. Спиров, А.Н. Никитин // Проблемы здоровья и экологии. – 2017. — № 4. – С. 52–57.
Чешик, И.А. Влияние микробиологических препаратов ЕМ-1 и EMX-Gold на биокинетику 137Cs в организме лабораторных животных (= Impact of microbiological preparations EM-1 and EMX-Gold on biokinetics of 137Cs in the laboratory animals, in Russian) / И.А. Чешик, А.Н. Никитин, Д.В. Сухарева и др. // Известия Национальной академии наук Беларуси. Серия медицинских наук. – 2017. – № 1. – С. 45–53.
Чешик, И.А. Перспективы использования микробиологических препаратов для снижения радиационных рисков (= The potential of using microbiological preparations to reduce radiation-associated risks, in Russian) / И.А. Чешик, А.Н. Никитин, Д.В. Сухарева и др. // Наука и инновации. – 2017. – Т. 171, № 5. – С. 64–67.
Cheshyk, I. Impact of microbiological preparations on radioactive cesium excretion rate under condition of its chronic ingestion / I. Cheshyk, D. Suchareva, A. Nikitin // RAD Conference Proceedings. – 2017. – Vol. 2. – P. 64–69. DOI: 21175/RadProc.2017.14
Gaponenko, V.I. A comparative study of 40K versus 137Cs uptake as chemical analogs by vegetable plants at different concentrations of these nuclides in soil near the 30-km Chernobyl zone / V.I. Gaponenko, N.V. Shamal, A.N. Nikitin // Radioprotection 51(1), 25-30 (2016), 25-30
Спиров, Р.К. Нейронные сети в спектрометрии радиоактивных излучений: состояние проблемы (= Neural networks in spectrometry of radioactive radiations: the problem condition, in Russian) / Р.К. Спиров, А.Н. Никитин // Экологический вестник. Научно-практический журнал, 2016. – № 1(35). – С. 124-128.
Bondar Yu.I., Navumau A.D., Nikitin A.N., Brown J., Dowdall M. Model assessment of additional contamination of water bodies as a result of wildfires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone // Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. – 2014. – Vol. 138. – P. 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.08.018