<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Toxicity assessment of environmental compartments, in particular sediments as a highly complex matrix, provides a more direct way to assess potential adverse effects of pollutants present in a sample in contrast to chemical analysis estimating only a quantitative level of xenobiotics. Interactions between chemicals, formations of derivatives and the influence of chemical properties of sediments such as the organic matter content causing the intensified sorption of hydrophobic pollutants suggest that a traditional approach to the sediment quality, based only on chemical analysis may be insufficient. The presented study describes the vertical and horizontal variability of toxicity of Gdańsk Basin sediments. Based on 128 surface sediments samples and using geostatistical methods, a prediction map for the EC50 parameter was created. This allowed the evaluation of the toxicity of the surface sediment layer at any selected point of the study area. The applied analysis can be functional for many other locations worldwide. In the present study, the hypothesis about the location of toxic sediments in the vicinity of Gdańsk Deep, outer Puck Bay and close to Vistula River mouth was further confirmed.</p>
</abstract>

Toxicity assessment of environmental compartments, in particular sediments as a highly complex matrix, provides a more direct way to assess potential adverse effects of pollutants present in a sample in contrast to chemical analysis estimating only a quantitative level of xenobiotics. Interactions between chemicals, formations of derivatives and the influence of chemical properties of sediments such as the organic matter content causing the intensified sorption of hydrophobic pollutants suggest that a traditional approach to the sediment quality, based only on chemical analysis may be insufficient. The presented study describes the vertical and horizontal variability of toxicity of Gdańsk Basin sediments. Based on 128 surface sediments samples and using geostatistical methods, a prediction map for the EC50 parameter was created. This allowed the evaluation of the toxicity of the surface sediment layer at any selected point of the study area. The applied analysis can be functional for many other locations worldwide. In the present study, the hypothesis about the location of toxic sediments in the vicinity of Gdańsk Deep, outer Puck Bay and close to Vistula River mouth was further confirmed.

Geostatistical methods for estimation of toxicity of marine bottom sediments based on the Gdańsk Basin area

Department of Marine Chemistry and Environmental Protection, Institute of Oceanography

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Toxicity assessment of environmental compartments, in particular sediments as a highly complex matrix, provides a more direct way to assess potential adverse...

Geostatistical methods for estimation of toxicity of marine bottom sediments based on the Gdańsk Basin area

Published Online: Oct 29, 2014

Page range: 247 - 256

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13545-014-0139-6

Keywords
toxicity, bottom sediment, Microtox, geostatistical analysis, ordinary kriging

© 2014 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Geostatistical methods for estimation of toxicity of marine bottom sediments based on the Gdańsk Basin area

Published Online: Oct 29, 2014

Page range: 247 - 256

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13545-014-0139-6

Keywordstoxicity, bottom sediment, Microtox, geostatistical analysis, ordinary kriging

© 2014 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
toxicity, bottom sediment, Microtox, geostatistical analysis, ordinary kriging