Evidence of cultural eutrophication of the Gulf of Gdańsk based on diatom analysis

The objective of this study was to reconstruct the environmental changes in the Gulf of Gdańsk in the last 200 years. Four subbottom sediment cores were analyzed with respect to diatom flora and anthropogenic effects. The so-called “anthropogenic assemblage” – a result of cultural eutrophication – was observed in the surface sediments. Changes in the species composition may have been caused by the increased use of fertilizers, nitrogen loads and increasing organic matter concentration. Three phases (A, B and C) were distinguished based on the floristic spectrum, which clearly indicates trophic changes in the study area.