| Summary: | Suspension in the mixing zones near the mouths of small rivers flowing into Kandalaksha Bay is analyzed. It is shown that water mixing results in quantitative and qualitative changes in particulate matter, as well as changes in the concentrations and composition of the constituent components of such matter. Particulate matter concentrations decrease from 1.5 mg/l in the riverine part of the estuaries to <0.5 mg/l in their marine areas. Riverine water transports mainly organic terrigenous particulate matter. Under a salinity increase from 2 to 12‰, physicochemical processes concentrate coagulated alumosilicates, which increases the content of mineral matter. The further increase in salinity and decrease in the particulate matter content leads to the intense development of plankton, and thus the role of marine organic matter in the particulate matter grows. Vertical particle fluxes in the productive layer of the deep-water part of the bay are formed mainly due to biogenic (diatomaceous) material. In the lower layers, these fluxes involve terrigenous mineral components from the bottom sediments, entrained by tidal currents. The species composition of diatoms, sampled by sediment traps at depths of 55 and 270 m, is characterized. Peer Reviewed
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