The distribution of heavy metals in the near-bottom particulate matter, fluffy layer, and bottom sediments over the Yenisei profile in the Kara Sea

Abstract

The chemical composition and concentrations of metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Cr) were determined for the first time in the marine basin at the water-bottom geochemical interface, including the particulate matter, fluffy layer (0.0–0.2 cm), and the surface layer of the sediments (0–2 cm). It was found that the content of metals in the aquatic particulate matter depended on the concentration of organic matter. The fluffy layer was enriched, compared to the underlying layers, by 5–10% in organic matter including the biomass of microorganisms, and by up to 50% in metals (to the maximum of doubled values for Zn). It is supposed that this low enrichment of the fluffy layer in metals was caused by the active near-bottom currents of marine basins.