In the present study we report mercury data in the sediment cores obtained during a Germany-Russian and Russian-Germany cruises onboard the Vessels Sonne and Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev in Kuril area. This region cover an extensive area of the Northwest Pacific included the trench system and adjacent abyssal plain, ranging zone off the Kuril Islands. Kuril area is characterized by high water biological productivity, intensive volcanic activity, and hydrological features. Mercury concentrations in sediment cores were analyzed using a Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer with high frequency modulation of light polarization and a pyrolysis attachment to determine its occurrence, distribution, and deposition flux. Mercury concentrations in the sediments ranged between 8‒170 ppb; its minimal concentrations (8‒15 ppb) were detected in sandy turbidites. For the pre-industrial period, Hg flux ranged between 33‒36 µg/m2 year. The maximum Hg flux (44 µg/m2 year) corresponded to the 1980, with decreases of up to 30 µg/m2 year in modern sediments (top-core sediment samples). The Hg outlet temperature in the bottom sediments corresponded to a physically sorbed form of Hg and depends on the Hg content of diatoms (siliceous residues). Hg concentrations were significantly positivly correlated with total organic carbon content but negativly correlated with Al, Fe, Zr, and Sr contents. Thus, two main factors affected Hg burial in bottom sediments; atmospheric deposition of Hg and biological productivity. The effect volcanic activity has not been clearly established in this study.
2020. V. 180. Art.no. 102235

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.