Sediment samples from 53 stations of the southwestern Chukchi sea were investigated to the spatial distributions and assess the state of trace metals contamination using ecological indices. The mean concentrations (mg kg-1) in sediments were: Cr (70.5), Ni (41.0), Cu (16.5), Zn (82.7), As (15.90), Cd (0.27), Pb (15.96), Hg (32.0 μg kg-1). The spatial distribution pattern of trace metals was similar with maximum values in the northern of the Chukchi Sea in the outer shelf sediments, while the high values of Cd were noted at stations located in the southern part of the sea where a strong influence of the Pacific waters penetrating through the Bering Strait. The ecological indices indicated no signs of anthropogenic pollution in the study sediments of the Chukchi Sea. Received data are of value for detecting and tracking future chemical changes in the sediments of the Chukchi sea, particularly in light of environmental changes.
2022. V. 180, Art. no. 113797

Trace metals in Laptev and East Siberian Sea sediments were analyzed to examine the element distribution pattern and to assess sediment contamination using contamination indices. The maximum Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu, and As concentrations occurred in the deeper parts of the East Siberian and Laptev Seas and the estuarine shelves of the Lena and Yana Rivers, and a high Cd content was observed in the sediment of the eastern part of the East Siberian Sea. The increased Cd concentration could be a result of the large number of phytoplankton supplied by the highly productive waters of the Bering Sea and the sorption capacity of Cd precipitation on Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides in seawater. The mean enrichment factors and geoaccumulation index values for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd showed no contamination by these metals at any sampling locations; however, slight As enrichment was found, possibly originating from natural sources.
2021. V. 173, Part A. Art. no. 112997