The features of the distribution of the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, methane and the number of sulfite-reducing clostridia in the mud of the Bugazsky, Kiziltashsky and Vityazevsky limans and Chembursky lake were studied, and their physiological and chemical conditions and levels of anthropogenic loading were assessed. The tendency of reduction of the content of the studied reduced gases from the surface to the lower layers of mud was established, with relatively low concentrations of methane in the limans and abnormally high concentrations in the Chembursky lake, subject to strong anthropogenic influence. It is shown that high concentrations of methane and hydrogen sulphide in mud of water bodies that are planned for use for human treatment, indicate good therapeutic properties of peloids. At the same time, for those same reservoirs (limans) that are simultaneously used for extraction and reproduction of hydrobionts, the presence of high concentrations of reduced gases in the upper layers of bottom sediments and near-bottom water layers, as a rule, will promote the development of pestilence phenomena, which will adversely affect the development of the fishing industry. For reservoirs for both fishery and medical purposes, the high content of reduced gases and the abundance of pathogenic microflora may indicate contamination. The established rectilinear relationships between the number of sulfite-reducing clostridia and the concentrations of methane and hydrogen sulfide indicate the participation of sulfite-reducing clostridia in the processes of methane and hydrogen sulfide formation in the mud of the reservoirs of the Taman Peninsula. Sanitary-microbiological assessment of mud of the studied reservoirs shows that the muds studied cannot be recommended for using with medicinal purposes.

The paper presents studies on the infection with clostridia of fish with skin lesions and ulcers on the surface of the body. The objects of study were syrman goby from the eastern part of the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov, turbot from the shelf zone of the northeastern Black Sea and carps reared under aquaculture conditions. Using an Autoflex speed III Bruker Daltonics (Germany) mass spectrometer, by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was showed that sulfite-reducing clostridia (Clostridium perfringens, C. sporogenes) have been shown to infect the organs and tissues of syrman goby with vibriosis and turbot with ulcerative skin lesions of unknown etiology. Species such as Clostridium difficile, Clostridium novyi are of clinical importance and were found in the parenchymal organs of carp suffering from chronic aeromonas infection on pond fish farms in the southern Russia. These bacteria are its cosmopolitan distribution ability them to generate heat-resistant spores and cause food poisoning, which makes control and prevention measures needed in the food chain.

The coastal peloidis a peculiar and poorly-studied geological substance. Peloids occurin the Bugaz, Kiziltash, and Vityazevolimans and the Chemburka Lake on the southern coast of the Taman Peninsula. The studied peloids are dark-colored mud enriched in hydrogen sulfide and methane and constitute the uppermost 10–20 cm of bottom sediments. Being geologically unique, the coastal peloids of the Taman Peninsula can be recognized as ageoheritage site. Their uniqueness is linked to sediment type, biogeochemical processes, economic value, and depositional environment. The most typical peloids are found in the BugazLiman and the Chemburka Lake, proposed as geosites. The recognized coastal geoheritage site can be used for the purposes of science, education, and tourism, and its utility seems to be especially high because of its close location to the big resort area of Anapa. It appears to be important to balance management of this geoheritagesite with peloid extraction for balneological purposes. The studied coastal muds should be involved into the regional planning programs aimed at sustainable development (international experience and, particularly, some examples from the British coasts should be taken into consideration). Particularly, it is necessary to put peloid use into the context of regional planning and sustainable natural resource management.

Soils are a source and sink of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Since the volumes of concentration and flux can be large, accurate quantitative estimates are needed to obtain the data on global GHG fluxes required for forecasting global changes and climate studies. This review shows the role of soils as one of the important sources and regulators of the content of CH4, CO2, N2O in the troposphere, and also presents the main methods for monitoring greenhouse gases. The influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the emission and absorption of CH4, CO2, N2O by the soil cover has been analyzed. Original diagrams are presented showing the global fluxes of CH4, CO2, N2O by various ecosystems, including the pedosphere. The estimation of methane emission and distribution of its content in the main types of soils of the Rostov region is carried out. The mechanisms of CH4, CO2, N2O generation in soils and their possible influence on the calcium-carbonate balance, which plays an important role in the regulation of biogeochemical processes in the pedosphere, are considered. The performed analysis and generalization of research data on various types of soils makes it possible to shed light not only on their contribution to the global methane emission, but also to approach the understanding of processes and parameters that are important from the point of view of agrochemistry, such as, in fact, carbonate-calcium equilibrium and redox potential in modern soils. An inventory of sources and an assessment of the inter-reservoir gas mass transfer in the pedosphere - atmosphere system allows one to start developing a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will help curb the rate of global climate change.

The lower Don River in the south of the European part of Russia was studied to determine the concentration, spatial distribution, and sources of 19 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 14.2 to 529 ng/g-dw. Sedimentary PAH concentrations were higher in the delta of the Don River and in the estuaries of rivers Sal and Aksai compared to the main channel of the Don. Analysis of the PAHs sources showed that PAHs came mostly from pyrogenic sources as a result of incomplete combustion of coal. Bioluminescent bacterial sensors were used for ecotoxicological assessment of surface sediments. The surface sediments of all the investigated stations of lower reaches of the Don River were toxic and genotoxic. The maximum concentration of PAHs and the high genotoxicity effect caused by the presence of genotoxicants were found in the surface sediments of the same stations. Significant correlations between the concentrations of individual PAHs in sediments and the genotoxic effect were found. Correlation between genotoxicity of surface sediments and concentration of phenanthrene and benz(k)fluoranthene was the most significant both with and without application of metabolic activation.