You are here:
Comprehensive Characteristics of Bottom Sediments of Water Bodies of Various Types in the Kiliya Delta of the Danube River
Citation:
Romanenko, V. D., A. V. Lyashenko, S. A. Afanasyev, I. N. Konovets, L. S. Kipnis, Y. Y. Zorina-Sakharova, A. V. Terletskaya, M. V. Milyukin, V. Y. Demchenko, R. M. BURGESS, AND K. T. HO. Comprehensive Characteristics of Bottom Sediments of Water Bodies of Various Types in the Kiliya Delta of the Danube River . Hydrobiological Journal. Begell House Incorporated, New York, NY, 47(5):3-20, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
For this research, the toxicity of contaminated sediments from the Danube Delta was measured with several aquatic organisms. This toxicity was compared to contaminant concentrations and benthic community composition for the sediments. The sediments were moderately contaminated and not very toxic. The analysis is one of the first of this type used in Ukraine as part of an assessment of environmental degradation. The analysis also provides a valuable comparative dataset for similar analyses in the United States.
Description:
The "triad" approach, including analysis of the total content of toxicants, bioassay of bottom sediments, and the study of the structure of zoo- and phytobenthos communities, was used in assessing the quality of bottom sediments. It has been found that the studied bottom sediments were moderately contaminated, whereas their distinct toxicity was not revealed. A direct relationship between the structural indices of benthos communities and the content of toxicants was not established.