Sediment Accumulation of Nutrients (N, P) in the Eastern Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea)

Dry weight (DW), ignition loss (IL) and concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) of the sediment surface layer (0 to 10 cm, 1 cm slices) were analyzed from 20 sites in the eastern Gulf of Finland. The distance of the sampling sites from the mouth of the River Neva explained the nutrient concentrations of the sediments well, while the effect of water depth was negligible. The increase of TN and the decrease of TP along the transect from the river mouth towards the open Gulf were caused by the diminishing share of allochthonous material supplied from the River Neva. The mean TN concentration of the different accumulation areas was about 40 % higher in the sediment surface than in the deeper layer (9 to 10 cm). The corresponding difference for TP varied from 53 to 56 %. The results suggest considerable netflux of nutrients from sediment to water. The net sediment accumulation of nutrients were estimated as 6.0 g m-2 a-1 of N and 1.7 g m-2 a-1 of P corresponding 22 000 t a-1 of N and 6 100 t a-1 of P for the whole eastern Gulf.