Influence of amber mining on the concentration and chemical composition of suspended sedimentary matter (Sambian Peninsula, Southeast Baltic)
Title:
Influence of amber mining on the concentration and chemical composition of suspended sedimentary matter (Sambian Peninsula, Southeast Baltic)
Author:
Sivkov, Vadim V. Chubarenko, Boris V.
Appeared in:
Marine georesources & geotechnology
Paging:
Volume 15 (1997) nr. 2 pages 115-126
Year:
1997-04
Contents:
The article is devoted to the problem of the dumping of suspended matter from Kaliningrad Amber Mining Plant to the Baltic Sea. Estimation of environmentally harmful pulp discharge is based on the requirements of the Russian State Service for Nature Protection (RSSNP) for maximum limited concentration of suspension in sewage waters, using the formula Cmax = N(Ct — Cb) + Cb, but taking into consideration the separate fractions in both surface and subsurface waters, where Ct is the concentration at the test site, Cb is the background concentration at the point of discharge, and N is the total dilution factor between the two sites. Field study results were the input data for maximum limited and actual discharges' calculations and were based on 71 samples that showed wide variances of suspension concentrations for the internal background site of from 5.8 to 62.6 mg/L, and for the external background site of from 2.9 to 27.2 mg/L. The fluctuations are explained by variation in wind velocities which strongly influence the swell in the coastal area, causing sediment resuspension. On the basis of the experimental data, it is possible to plot an analytical relationship between values of N and wind velocities. Samples were analyzed for grain size and content of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn. It is concluded that the Kaliningrad Amber Mining Plant is the source of large amounts of dispersed fine terrigenous sediments and of occurrences of trace metals associated with them and, taking into account real conditions of wind velocities and flows in the coastal zone of the sea, the study has resulted in a useful basis for more detailed investigations of the anthropogenic influence on the ecological system of the southeast Baltic.
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