Bioindication of Heavy-Metal Pollution in the Coastal Marine Waters of Russky Island (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan)

Abstract

The first assessment of the condition of coastal waters around Russky Island, Peter the Great Bay, in the vicinity of Vladivostok, has been made based on the data on concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni in the brown algae Sargassum miyabei and S. pallidum collected along the coast of the island in July and August 2016. It has been found that the concentrations of heavy metals in algae from waters off Russky Island mostly exceed their background levels in Sargassum algae from the northwestern Sea of Japan. On the southeastern side of the island, facing Ussuri Bay, which is distinguished by a rocky/bouldery coast and beds of S. pallidum, algae are characterized by lower concentrations of trace elements than those on the other sides.