Decoupling assessment of Klaipeda port dumping area contamination

The reconstruction of Klaipeda port, carried out due to economic growth and the development of the maritime industry, has a substantial impact on the natural environment, physical processes and biological resources. Seaport operations and efficiency, directly relate to the depth of the entrance channel. During the clearing and dredging of the port, a large amount of soil is excavated, which is then submerged on the open sea in the landfill zone. Dumping the soil at sea affects the natural ecosystem and its stability. In the course of soil's burial, the concentration of suspended matter increases in water, the transparency of water decreases, the granulometric composition of the soil undergoes changes, the amount of pollutants increases. In economically developed countries, such soil removal process is no longer permitted due to its significant impact on the environment. The aim of this work is to evaluate the change in the pollution of the dumping area during 2006-2017. The study's decoupling evaluation method analyzes dumping zone and drowned soil pollution. The impact of drowned soil's impurities to the state of the dumping zone depends on the amount of soil as well as on the composition and the properties of the contaminating materials.