Baltic Proper, northern Baltic Sea, Gotland Basin, Gdansk Basin, Bornholm Basin, Arkona Sea during the period 1981-1992 (data set limits: 54 36 - 59 23N; 14 26 - 22 11E); Baltic Proper, Gdansk Basin, Gotland Basin during the period 1993-1999 (data set limits: 54 54 - 57 22N; 18 24 - 21 05E); Lithuanian territorial waters and economic zone since 2000 (data set limits: 55 19 - 56 02N; 20 21 - 21 05E)

Dissolved metal concentrations in the water column; Inorganic chemical composition of sediment or rocks

Discrete water samplers; sediment grabs; atomic absorption spectrometers

The aim of the research of heavy metals is to determine the contamination of the Baltic Sea water and bottom sediments with heavy metals and to evaluate long-term dynamic of their concentrations. Since 1981 only mercury (Hg) concentrations data in water and sediments has been stored. In accordance with the national and international Baltic Sea monitoring (HELCOM) programme monitoring cruises have been fulfilled with Lithuanian research vessels 'Okeanografas', 'Vetra', 'Vejas'. Since 1981 seasonal investigations have been carried out in a wide net of stations in the Baltic Sea (data set limits: 54 36 - 59 23N; 14 26 - 22 11E). In 1993 the net of stations became more narrow and since 2000 the researches have been carried out only in territorial and exclusive economic zone of Lithuania (data set limits: 55 19 - 56 02N; 20 21 - 21 05E). Since 2003 other heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) have been evaluated in the water and bottom sediments as well. In accordance with monitoring programme investigations of heavy metals in water are performed four times per year (every season), in sediments three times per year (spring, summer, autumn). Samples are taken from the standard sea water horizons. The data are fully quality controlled. Systematic certification of laboratories, participation in an international intercalibrations, internal control, introduced managing system for researches' quality, use of high quality reagents determine the quality of data. All data is stored in archive (written form) and is saved on hard disk.

G.Garnaga, V.Jancauskiene, L.Kondratjeva, K.Mickuviene (2008) Pollutants in water and sediments of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon // Monograph: The Baltic Sea and its problems (Articles in Lithuanian with English summaries, N.Remeikaite, R.Nikzentaitiene

Department of Marine Research of the Environmental Protection Agency
Taikos Av. 26
Klaipeda

LT-91149
Lithuania