Bioindication of the ecological state (health) of coastal waters based on the use of automatic bioelectronic systems

Abstract

The paper presents the data obtained in the study of the health of the ecosystems in a number of recreational areas of the Black Sea and the Eastern Gulf of Finland. Prompt assessment of the health of the ecosystems was carried out by testing the health of adult bivalve mollusks inhabiting them, using the functional load method based on the analysis of their heart rate measured by a fiber-optic bioelectronic system. The goal of the study is to test the innovative bioindication technology developed earlier by the authors on the basis of the above-mentioned method in the regional programs for environmental monitoring of the ecosystems of coastal marine and freshwater recreational water areas (using the example of a number of water areas of Sevastopol, as well as several freshwater areas of the Kurortniy District of St. Petersburg. It has been established that the functional state of mollusks may serve as an indicator of excessive pollution of coastal waters by the objects that discharge insufficiently treated wastewater from their local treatment facilities, including household wastewater. The technology applied in this study for the assessment of functional state of local species of molluscs may be effectively used to solve the problems of early diagnostics of alterations in the health status of coastal aquatic ecosystems and contribute to ensuring the ecological safety of recreational water areas, serving as an infobase for the development of science-based environmental management decisions. Taking into account a high expressiveness and easy-to-use technology applied in the study (which does not require expertise for its practical implementation), this technology may be considered as the best available technology for biomonitoring the water quality of recreational waters in Russia.