Neva Bay: A Technogenic Lagoon of the Eastern Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea)

Abstract

The chapter is devoted to the geological development, hydrology, biology and environmental status of Neva Bay – the easternmost and shallowest part of the Gulf of Finland (the Baltic Sea). After the construction of the St. Petersburg Protection Facility, which separates Neva Bay from the Gulf of Finland, it was deliberately transformed into a technogenic lagoon. Neva Bay and its coastal zone were formed during the late Pleistocene deglaciation and Holocene sea-level fluctuations. The last very important event in Holocene geological history was the Neva River’s onset from Lake Ladoga. Since the founding of St. Petersburg in 1703, Neva Bay has been influenced by increasing anthropogenic impact. Intense dredging and dumping caused a transformation of the bottom relief and sediments. The silty clay mud of the sedimentation basins provides information about “pollution history” of Neva Bay as a result of the rapid development of industry in St. Petersburg in the twentieth century. The Neva Bay ecosystem has certain unique features. Despite intensive traffic, dredging and dumping, leading to the destruction of aquatic habitats, the living planktonic and benthic communities are characterized by their regenerative ability.