Toxicity of sediment elutriate in relation to lake acidification: Lakes of northwest Russia

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:458318

Tomilina, I I; Komov, V T ^[1]

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1. Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok (Russian Federation). Inst. of Biology of Inland Waters

Toxicological testing of natural and waste waters is common using standard techniques, but rather rare for assessing the toxicity of sediments. Lake acidification is a complex process involving the interaction of watershed properties and atmospheric deposition. The effect of atmospheric pollution on freshwater ecosystems was evaluated by examining the toxicity of sediments from 38 lakes in Northwest Russia using the standard Ceriodaphnia affinis test. Water quality in the study lakes ranged from 4.0 to 10.0 in pH, and from 4 to 500 hazen in color. Chronic toxicity of sediment elutriate (at neutral pH) was determined using % mortality, number of cohorts, and number of young during each trial. Toxicity of sediment elutriate was greater from acid-brown than from neutral lakes. The most sensitive biological indicator of toxicity was number of young produced during a trial and the least sensitive was % mortality. A four year seasonal study on five different lakes indicated substantial temporal variation in sediment toxicity regardless of lake status.

• OSTI ID: 458318
• Report Number(s): CONF-961149--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ACID RAIN
BIOASSAY
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
LAKES
USSR
WATER POLLUTION