CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACE METALS SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION IN SEA BED SEDIMENTS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN BLACK SEA SHELF

Abstract

The present work describes the characteristics of trace metals (TM) content and TM spatial distribution on the north-western Black Sea (NWBS) bottom as identified in the area of investigation (Ukrainian coastal waters); the sources of trace metals and their path-ways into the bottom sediments of the NWBS shelf were studied as well; the level of impact of the different land-based and marine-based sources on the content and distribution of trace metals in the sea-bed sediments of the shelf are described; the spatial distribution of trace metals of natural and anthropogenic origin in the sea-bed sediments of the shelf is presented.To quantitatively determine the impact of different sources (natural and anthropogenic) on the content and distribution of trace metals on the NWBS shelf bottom, specific statistical analysis of data was carried out. In particular, with the help of cumulative probability curve, the content of trace metals was separated into groups coming from different sources: natural sources – А; technogenic diffuse sources – В, technogenic point sources – С). The method proposed allows separating the share of input of the various sources forming the content and distribution of trace metals in the marine environment, as demonstrated on the example of bottom sediments in the present investigation.