Climate change revealed through sea level rise and increase in water and air temperature leads to changes in the littoral communities of the northwestern Sea of Japan. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the brown alga Silvetia babingtonii became a rare species in Peter the Great Bay, and its biomass currently does not exceed 200 g/m2 in this area. In the areas located further to the north, S. babingtonii is still a dominant species of littoral communities at the rocky bottom, and its biomass reaches 500–2100 g/m2 or more. Since the 1970s, S. babingtonii has been used as a monitor of heavy metal pollution in the coastal zone of Primorsky krai. Concentrations of heavy metals Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cd were determined in 2020 in the whole thalli of two age groups, as well as in apical and basal parts of the thallus in the background area and the polluted zone affected by mining. Under background conditions, Fe and Pb are in 1.5–2 times higher in its basal parts than in growing tips. In the polluted area, such differences are characteristic for Zn and Mn concentrations. The issues of long-term changes in metal concentrations in algae, the importance of S. babingtonii for littoral ecosystems, and the current species habitat are discussed.
С.И. Коженкова (Wed,) studied this question.