Urban surface deposited sediments as an indicator of the environmental and geochemical state of the Arctic city

Urban surface deposited sediments are considered as an indicator of the ecological and geochemical state of the city of Murmansk. The authors have determined regularities that link mineral, chemical and granulometric composition of sediments into a single system; and characterized environmentally significant aspects of contemporary urban sediment genesis. It is shown that pollution and granulometric differentiation of sediments cause increased accumulation of some heavy metals in dust and mud sediments. The formation of sediment accumulations in relief depressions becomes a source of fine particles entering the atmosphere.