BIVALVE SHELLS AS ARCHIVES FOR CHANGES IN WATER ENVIRONMENT / Musselskal som arkiv för förändringar i vattenmiljön
Bivalves were used as environmental biomonitors by studying the growth rate and the structure of their shells, as well as by analysing elemental distribution in the shells. Information about water chemistry, temperature and pH, precipitarion, food supply and other environmental paramerers are stored in the bivalve shells. To be able to disclose the environmenral archives within the bivalve shell, several methods have been developed in the last decade. These methods, based on studies of shell structure and growth rate, as well as on chemical analysis, are presented in this article. To be able to measure low concentrarions of elements in bivalve shells two methods ofchemical analysis has been used successfully: the Nuclear Microscope with its high spatial resolution and Neutron Acdvation Analysis, with its high multielemental capacity, as well as low detection limits. “Complete abstract not presented.”