Bioassay for sediment pollution estimation in the southern areas of the Barents Sea

The results of an elutriate bioassay of sediment from the southern areas of the Barents Sea are presented. Unicellular Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin alga and brine shrimp Artemia salina L. larvae were used as test objects. Experiments revealed a higher sensitivity of A. salina larvae to pollutants present in the sediment from the studied sea areas. According to the bioassay data, sediments in the southern part of the Barents Sea show a low pollution level. Toxic sediments were mostly found in the western coastal area, which points to a highly polluted marine environment in this area. The bioassay results are consistent with the published data of chemical analytical studies. Differences were noted in the quality estimations of the sediments in the western coastal area obtained by bioassay and bioindication methods. The research results confirmed the potential of bioassay for sediment pollution level estimation in sea areas with a relatively low level of pollutants.