Infl uence of mining activity on the chemical composition of water ecosystems
The chemical composition of water in the Rudnaya River and the adjacent sea area (Primorski krai, Russia) was investigated. Rudnaya River drains the eastern slope of Sikhote-Alin ridge, where the mining and ore dressing industrial activity has reduced signifi cantly in the last 25-30 years. At the same time, the river pollution with metals remains high, and it has even increased in the middle and upper reaches of river. The anthropogenic impact on the adjacent sea area has been assessed by the trace metals accumulation in the brown macroalgae С costata, F. evanescens and С crassipes, which reflects the metal ingress through the atmosphere and river runoff. The reduction of atmospheric emissions due to closure of the Pb smelter plant is accompanied by the decreasing concentrations of Pb and Cu in the macroalgae found to the north of B. Rudnaya, where the infl uence of river runoff is minimal. The Pb concentration in the macroalgae is found to have decreased during the last 25-30 years in the coastal water to the south of the Rudnaya River mouth, where major part of river runoff is dissipated. The Cu and Zn concentrations are still high in the macroalgae, and it has even risen in F. evanescens.