Pollution of the sediments of the coastal zone of the Sambia Peninsula and the Curonian Spit (Southeastern Baltic Sea)

A significant area with anomalous levels of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) has been identified on the underwater coastal slope of the Curonian Spit National Park, far from known pollution sources. The study attributes this contamination to alongshore bed load transport, which carries pollutants away from heavily used areas like the Sambia Peninsula and deposits them in pristine zones. Researchers employed a detailed environmental survey, analyzing sediment samples for PHE distribution and calculating ecological indexes to pinpoint transit and accumulation zones. This finding underscores the vulnerability of even remote coastal ecosystems to long-range pollution transport, posing risks to the biodiversity of UNESCO-listed sites like the Curonian Spit.

Krek, A., Krechik, V., Danchenkov, A., & Krek, E. (2018). Pollution of the sediments of the coastal zone of the Sambia Peninsula and the Curonian Spit (Southeastern Baltic Sea). PeerJ, 6, e4770. Portico. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4770