MEIOBENTHIC ORGANISMS AS INDICATORS OF MIXING PROCESSES IN THE BALTICSURFACE SEDIMENTS

Two sediment cores were collected in the southern Baltic Sea and slice d into 1.0-cm-thick layers. Sediments of each layer were analysed for activities of Pb-210, Cs-137 Cs-134 and for the density of meiobenthic organisms (meiofauna). Zones with the rapid mixing occur in the upper most layers (0-3 cm) of the cores based on Cs-134 profiles. The extent and density of meiofauna confirmed the rapid mixing and revealed laye rs with slow mixing (4-8 cm). Sedimentation rates were derived from Pb -210 profiles below the mixing zones (1.21 and 1.72 mm . a(-1)) and we re confirmed by Cs-137 distribution. Of twenty-one major meiofauna tax a commonly found in the Baltic sediments, three were present in the co res.