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Can the “Green Tides” Affect the Metal Distribution in the Coastal Sediments? A Case Study in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea

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Contemporary Problems of Ecology Aims and scope

Abstract

Our study has been conducted along the coastline of the eastern Gulf of Finland for three years. It had been shown that accumulation of algal biomass caused by the “green tide” events significantly influenced the metal distribution in the surface sediments. Metal concentrations differed significantly under algal mats and at the sites, which were free of algae. Our study showed significant changes in metal concentrations (Zn, Cd and Pb) along the coast in study years, which, in our opinion, reflect influence of the ports Vysotsk and a new one—Bronka. Principal component and classification analysis extracted two main factors, which can be interpreted as a factors related to the distance from a river mouth and to the input from the new anthropogenic sources. Taking into account a global climate change and the results of our study, we may conclude that in the future extended macroalgal blooms may provoke intense sediment contamination by organic matter and associated metals.

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Funding

The study had been supported by the state topic of Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, project no. AAAA-A19-119020690091-0, state research topic of Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety, Russian Academy of Sciences, project no. 0241-2019-0018, and a joint Program between Finland, Estonia and Russia “The Gulf of Finland Year 2014” coordinated by Finnish Environment Institute SYKE.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Y. I. Gubelit

  2. Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety, Russian Academy of Sciences, 197110, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Y. M. Polyak, T. D. Shigaeva, L. G. Bakina & V. A. Kudryavtseva

  3. Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Y. M. Polyak

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  1. Y. I. Gubelit
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  2. Y. M. Polyak
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  3. T. D. Shigaeva
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  4. L. G. Bakina
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  5. V. A. Kudryavtseva
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Gubelit, Y.I., Polyak, Y.M., Shigaeva, T.D. et al. Can the “Green Tides” Affect the Metal Distribution in the Coastal Sediments? A Case Study in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Contemp. Probl. Ecol. 13, 113–126 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1995425520020043

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