(Table 1) Composition of lipids in particulate matter and bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea

Lipid contents in the upper layer of bottom sediments in the Baltic Sea range from 0.37 to 2.66 mg/g (1.2-25.8% Corg). It is shown that the main factors determining composition of lipids in bottom precipitates are relative roles of different sources of lipids in sediments and conditions of sediment accumulation. Runoff of the Daugava River into the Gulf of Riga contributes simple low-polarity lipids. Sterols and certain bound fatty acids originate in living organic matter. Polar lipids are formed by inheritance of complex phospholipids and glycolipids from plankton and/or by formation of polycondensates.

Mesozooplankton in Bornholm Basin, Baltic Sea

The seasonal vertical distribution of mesozooplankton was investigated in the Bornholm Basin in October 1988, July 1991 and April 1992 by means of horizontal tows using a small net with a mesh size of 47 micrometers. This study shows that the vertical distribution of multivoltine copepods is linked with ontogeny and may also change seasonally, even in shallow areas such as the Baltic. Trends between copepod species, stages and seasons were discovered. Secondly, the correlation was investigated between the vertical mesozooplankton distribution on the one hand and chlorophyll a concentration and the density of medusae and fish larvae on the other hand. In several cases the comparison of the shape of the profiles led to greater differentiation than the coefficient of correlation. The abundances found allowed only scant statements about non-copepod taxa.

(Table T1) Geochemical composition of coastal sediments from the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea, Germany

Approximately quantitative values are presented on the mineral content of the clay and silt fractions of marine sediments from the Wadden Sea. Considering the extent of clay mineral transformation and neoformation in a marine environment, it is believed to be insignificant, because of the sea water and pore solutions of the sediments seem to represent - with the exception of a small Mg-surplus - a kind of equilibrium solution for three- and four-layer minerals, which neither favors a considerable base fixation nor base release. Therefore, illite neoformation during halmyrolysis or early diagenesis seems to be impossible, especially because of unfavourable relations of potassium to all other cations in the sea water. Obviously the neoformation of illite takes place only during later diagenetic stages. The processes of clay mineral neoformation in a marine environment are probably restricted to the formation of amorphous (Mg-)Fe-Si-particles which may be first steps in the formation of chamosites, chlorites or smectites.

(Table 3, Page 417) Table 3. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Ag, Mn and Fe in a soluble in 1M HCl fraction of ferromanganese nodules of Slupsk Furrow in the southern Baltic sea

The concentration of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Ag, Mn, Fe, Ca, Mg, K and Na in molluscs Macoma balthica, Mya arenaria, Cardium glaucum, Mytilus edulis and Astarte borealis from the southern Baltic was determined. The surface sediments and ferromanganese concretions associated with the molluscs were also analysed for concentration of these metals. Species- and region-dependent differences in the metal levels of the organisms were observed. The properties of molluscs analysed which have a tendency toward elevated biological tolerance of selected trace metals were specified. The interelement relationship between metal concentrations in the soft tissue and the shell was estimated and was discussed.

Table 1 : AMS-14C data used for the reconstruction of the Wismar Bay shoreline displacement curve

The Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is located in the transition Zone between the region of Fennoscandian Uplift and the Central European Depression. In relation to the eustatic sea-level rise, the northeast coast shows a slower inundation, while for the southwestern area a faster transgression is indicated, which can be attributed to crustal movements. To determine the spatial and temporal differences since the onset of the Littorina Transgression, three relative sea-level curves have been established along a transect parallel to the gradient of upliftlsubsidence. The Wismar Bay area is one endpoint of the transect demonstrating today 10 Abb., 2 Tab. a relative sea-level rise of 1.4 mm/a. To determine the relative sea-level curve for the Wismar Bay, two sites were investigated on Rustwerder Spit (Poel) and Redentin. They provided reliable depth-age data, while the stratigraphy was additionally supported by lithological/geochemical, pollen, diatom and macrofossil data. Additional evidence was provided by archaeological submarine surveys and excavations. Comparing the new relative sea-level curve with a curve from the Vorpommern coast, it can be shown that for the period from 4000 cal BC until present, the differences between the two curves are caused by a constant neotectonic movement, while for the older periods an increasing isostatic component must be taken into account.

NMR spectrum of lindgomycin from a Marine Fungus of the Lindgomycetaceae

An unusual polyketide with a new carbon skeleton, lindgomycin (1), and the recently described ascosetin (2) were extracted from mycelia and culture broth of different Lindgomycetaceae strains, which were isolated from a sponge of the Kiel Fjord in the Baltic Sea (Germany) and from the Antarctic. Their structures were established by spectroscopic means. In the new polyketide, two distinct domains, a bicyclic hydrocarbon and a tetramic acid, are connected by a bridging carbonyl. The tetramic acid substructure of compound 1 was proved to possess a unique 5-benzylpyrrolidine-2,4-dione unit. The combination of 5-benzylpyrrolidine-2,4-dione of compound 1 in its tetramic acid half and 3-methylbut-3-enoic acid pendant in its decalin half allow the assignment of a new carbon skeleton. The new compound 1 and ascosetin showed antibiotic activities with IC50 value of 5.1 (±0.2) µM and 3.2 (±0.4) µM, respectively, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.