Heavy metal concentrations in deep-sea sediments collected from Kuril Basin (Sea of Okhotsk) and Kuril-Kamchatka Trench area were analyzed. For the Kuril Basin, a geochemical natural background of these elements was identified based on a dated core. The results showed enrichment by heavy metals due to natural factors in the study area. All heavy metals showed a low ecological risk; thus, the potential ecological risk of the study area was also low.
2021. V. 164C. Art. no. 112055

Sediments from the abyssal plain adjacent to the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench were collected during the German-Russian cruise for the Kuril Kamchatka Biodiversity Study, and the chemical composition, quantitative content, and species composition of collected diatoms were studied. The collected sediments are silt and clayey silt, the SiO2am and Corg contents range 7.58%–19.38% and 0.44%–1.55%, respectively. The enrichment of silts by amorphous silica indicates the presence of a significant number of organisms (predominantly diatoms) with an opal skeleton. High Corg content in sediments reflects biological productivity, which is controlled by factors such as water circulation and the distribution of nutrients. Interrelation trends among chemical constituents is investigated via multi-component statistics. Diatom assemblages reflect present-day water masses characterized by high nutrient content, surface water circulation, and sedimentation conditions for different parts of the study area. Analysis of this new data also highlights changes in the response of diatom flora due to abiotic factors.
2015. V. 111. P. 10-18.