Application of a Method of Multi-Substrate Testing of the State of Marine Surface Waters

Abstract

The state of waters in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan, and Nha Trang Bay, South China Sea, has been assessed according to the following microbiological parameters at the sites that differ in their degrees of anthropogenic impact: spectra of substrate consumption determined by the method of multi-substrate testing (MST) and the abundance of some indicator bacteria. The results of mathematical processing of the spectra of substrate consumption by microorganisms in the studied waters showed the main characteristics of secure well-functioning water ecosystems and systems under the influence of external factors. The cleanest water sites were characterized by the maximum values of the ecosystem health index and the minimum values of the number of conditionally pathogenic bacteria. Consequently, the data obtained through determination of the spectra of substrate consumption by marine microflora reflect the actual ecological and epidemiological situation in the water area and can be used in monitoring of marine waters.