Multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the environmental health Flegrea coast (original) (raw)
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Environmental Status of Italian Coastal Marine Areas Affected by Long History of Contamination
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2020
In the first decades of 2000s, several Italian sites affected by strong anthropogenic impact were recognized as Sites of National Interest (SINs) for a successive reclamation project, some of which also including marine sectors. These coastal areas are characterized by high complexity and diversity as regards the natural setting as well as for extent, history, type, and degree of contamination. For this, the Italian Ministry of Environment charged its scientific research Institute (earlier ICRAM, now ISPRA) with planning a flexible, adaptable, and large-scale environmental characterization. In this context, the investigation of marine sediments was identified as the primary target to assess the environmental status, because of their conservative capacity with respect to contaminants and their role in the exchange processes with other environmental matrices, such as water column and aquatic organisms. A multidisciplinary, chemicalphysical, and ecotoxicological survey was identified as the most appropriate and objective criterion for assessing the sediment quality associated, when necessary, with integrative studies. The results derived from this multidisciplinary approach highlighted the main sources of contamination, together with size and extent of the environmental impact on the coastal marine areas, strictly correlated with the kind of anthropogenic activities and coastal morphology. In order to underline how the different environmental setting influences the degree of anthropogenic impact, four different case studies, selected among the more complex by geochemical and geomorphological viewpoints and more extensively studied, were considered. A comprehensive evaluation of these case studies allowed to deduce some general principles concerning the effects of anthropogenic impact, which can be applicable to other transitional and marine coastal areas.
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2012
The coastal region of Southern Italy's Caserta province, known as the Litorale Domitio (Domitia coast) has been subjected to increasing pressure from unsustainably fast economic and urban growth in the last century, that resulted in a induced serious land degradation. To obtain a comprehensive picture of the ecological status of the Domitia coastal zone (Campania, Southern Italy), a holistic methodology has been applied. Sedimentological, geochemical, and biological analyses of the surface sediments and water samples were performed along the submerged beach. The data were integrated using a geographical information system, together with information on past and present land use and human activities along the coast and in inland regions. Heavy metal concentrations in sediments plus As and Se (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) and their enrichment factors, which are important for identifying polluted areas in countries like Italy (where environmental legislation has not yet established intervention limits), indicate excesses Cd, Cr, Pb, and V of probable anthropogenic origin. A microbiological contamination of marine waters has been detected by the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Campania. The Bacteriological Quality Index map shows that bathing areas must be classified as ''contaminated'' and ''highly contaminated''. High levels of chemical and biological contamination are particularly common in both bathing seawater and sediments along the coastal zone south of the Volturno River, where the existing wastewater treatment plant is not properly working, to date. Factory farming, which is widespread in the area, is likely to be an additional important source of contamination. In accordance with these conclusions, analyses of the benthic diatom community revealed dominance of eutrophic species. Keywords Marine sediments Á Heavy metals Á Geochemical background Á Bathing seawater, bacteriological quality index Á Environmental quality Á Domitia coast Á Southern Italy
Marine pollution bulletin, 2018
Hazardous substances entering the sea, and ultimately deposited in bottom sediments, pose a growing threat to marine ecosystems. The present study characterized two coastal areas exposed to significant anthropogenic impact - Gulf of Gdańsk (Poland), and Oslofjord/Drammensfjord (Norway) - by conducting a multi-proxy investigation of recent sediments, and comparing the results in light of different available thresholds for selected contaminants. Sediment samples were analyzed for benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nonylphenols (NPs), organotin compounds (OTs), toxic metals (Cd, Hg, Pb), as well as mutagenic, genotoxic and endocrine-disrupting activities (in CALUX bioassays). In general, a declining trend in the deposition of contaminants was observed. Sediments from both basins were not highly contaminated with PAHs, NPs and metals, while OT levels may still give rise to concern in the Norwegian fjords. The results suggest that the contamination ...
This study investigates living benthic foraminiferal assemblages as bio-indicators of anthropogenic activities in a coastal area within the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), affected by industrial and urban activities, and evaluates the environmental quality through the calibration of a Tolerant Species index (%TS std). Sediments from 6 stations were sampled along a bathymetric transect from the coast to offshore. Sediment grain size, TOC, major, minor and trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were compared to ben-thic foraminiferal assemblages and species at each station. Diversity and density of benthic foraminiferal assemblages were not affected by the presence of pollutants, while tolerant species increased with organic (TOC and PAHs) or chemical (As and Pb) concentrations. Moreover, the calibration of the %TS std formula to N 125 μm foraminiferal assemblage, gives a detailed description of environmental quality along the transect, representing a good and sensitive tool to evaluate marine coastal environment.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2008
In the last few decades, several integrated methods for marine sediment quality evaluation have been developed and applied to many coastal sites. This paper describes the development of a general integrated method based on the determination of organic and inorganic sediment contamination, lethal and sublethal toxicity assessments, in situ benthonic community structure alteration and bioaccumulation of contaminants. The proposed method was applied to sediments from Southern Spain's Atlantic coast where six rivers (Guadiana, Carreras, Piedras, Tinto, Odiel and Guadalquivir) drain pollutants from various anthropogenic sources. A series of experiments was conducted to determine the characteristics of the sediments: granulometry, organic matter content, etc. (1); metal contamination of sediments and Chamelea gallina (bivalves widely distributed in the area studied) (2); lethal and sublethal toxicity by a series of biological tests (3); and macrofauna distribution at the 16 stations included in the study (4). Ratio-to-reference values (RTR) calculated for each parameter were used to determine the organic and inorganic contamination indices, the lethal and sublethal toxicity indices, the index of bioavailability of metals in the organisms analyzed and the macrobenthic alteration index. The data were plotted on six-axis plots to describe better the relations between the physical, chemical and biological properties studied. A general integrated sediment quality index (ISQI) was determined and used as an indicator of pollution-induced degradation. The ISQI values summarize the main characteristics of the environmental situation at each sampling point and can be used for purposes of comparison.
Assessment and management of contaminated sediments in Italian marine coastal waters
Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanità, 2008
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) obliges Member State to achieve a good chemical and ecological status of all surface waterbodies within a specific deadline; in particular the good chemical status is a condition in which the concentrations of priority substances do not exceed the environmental quality standards (EQS) in order to protect human health and the environment; the WFD states that EQS have to be derived for water, sediment or biota. The good chemical status could be difficult to achieve in the historical marine contaminated water bodies due to the presence of high concentrations of toxic, bioaccumulative and persistent substances in the sediments. In these specific highly contaminated sites there is a need to apply an ecosystem approach in which, as a first step, less stringent sediment EQS are defined in order to take the appropriate measures for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health; the long-term goal for these sites is the achievement of the good chem...
Integrated approach to sediment pollution: A case study in the Gulf of Trieste
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2008
The Gulf of Trieste is located at the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea (Italy), and is a shallow embayment with an average depth of 17 m. The gulf is an interesting site for studies on anthropic impacts because it has been populated for at least the last 2000 years and activities such as marble quarrying and oyster culture have been practised for centuries; today, it houses several ports and an industrial zone which generate noticeable anthropogenic pressures. The gulf's peculiar geomorphologic and hydrologic conditions make it prone to the accumulation of pollutants, since it is an elongated, sheltered bay with reduced hydrodynamism (Solis-Weiss et al., 2004). The Servola sewage disposal plant is the most important sewage plant of the city, serving up to 270,000 inhabitants. Its primary treatment has been based on chemical precipitation since 1992. The treated water is discharged via two adjacent submarine ducts (6.5 and 7.5 km) ending at 23 m depth with several diffusers (Novelli, 1996). In many marine environments, benthic communities constitute the most effective tool for assessing environmental variations of any given habitat. This is because benthos, in contrast to nekton and plankton, remain in place and are thus subjected to different environmental stresses, and react to these synergetically without any escape possibility. The resulting composition of species, replacements, eliminations, diversity or abundance changes, can indicate the recent history of events affecting the area (Solis-Weiss et al., 2001). The aim of this study was to assess the sediment quality near the outlet of the main wastewater pipeline of the city, applying an integrated approach which considered both the concentration of organic compounds, nutrients and pollutants, and the resulting biological responses. Sediment samples were collected on 21st June 2004 ca. 1.5 m from the Servola underwater sewage duct (45°38.648 0 N, 13°40.962 0 E; Fig. 1) using an automatic a KC haps bottom corer (KC-Denmark) with a polycarbonate sample tube (13.3 cm ID; sample area 127 cm 2) and a 0.1 m 2 van Veen grab. At the time of sampling, photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) and sea water temperature were recorded in situ using a profiling natural fluorometer PNF-300A (Biospherical Instruments Inc.), 50 cm above the bottom. Macroalgae were totally absent at the sampling station. Sediment cores were sectioned into three layers (0-2 cm; 2-4 cm and 12-14 cm) to determine the following parameters: sediment texture, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), labile organic matter (LOM), chl a and pheopigments, heavy metals (Al, Fe, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, V, Pb, Zn, Ag and Cd), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) as well as nutrients were analysed in both the sediment pore water and overlying water. A quali-quantitative analysis of the microphytobenthic and macrobenthic communities was performed. Shannon diversity index (H 0) and the evenness index (J 0) were calculated for both benthic communities. Sediment toxicity was also assessed. On 21st June 2004 another sampling was carried out at the sublittoral station C1 (17 m depth) of the gulf. Since C1 is located near the marine reserve of Miramare (45°42.05 0 N, 13°42.60 0 E; Fig. 1) with minimal anthropogenic disturbance, it was used as a reference site for the following parameters: TOC, TN, TP, DOC, DIC, LOM, nutrients, chl a and pheopigments, primary production, The objective of BASELINE is to publish short communications on different aspects of pollution of the marine environment. Only those papers which clearly identify the quality of the data will be considered for publication. Contributors to Baseline should refer to 'Baseline-The New Format and Content' (Mar. Pollut. Bull. 42, 703-704).
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2015
The Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy) is a semi-enclosed and strongly polluted basin. For decades, it has been subjected to different anthropogenic impacts. These stressors caused severe sediments contamination with high concentration of different pollutants (PAHs, PCB, heavy metals). In order to assess the current status of sediments contamination, an ecotoxicological investigation combined with chemical analysis (heavy metals, PAH, and PCB) has been performed. In order to derive ecologically relevant conclusions, a multiorganisms and multiend-points approach has been applied, exposing organisms from different trophic levels to elutriate and whole sediment. The battery of bioassays consists of a microalgal growth inhibition test (Dunaliella tertiolecta), acute and sublethal assays (endpoints: mortality, immobilization and swimming speed alteration) on crustaceans larvae and juveniles, and rotifers (Amphibalanus amphitrite, Artemia salina, Corophium insidiosum and Brachionus plicatilis), and embryotoxicity test on echinoderms (Paracentrotus lividus). Considering the high levels of sediment contamination highlighted from chemical analysis, an unexpected very low toxic effect was observed, even considering the sublethal end-point (larval swimming speed alteration). The results of this study suggest a very complex contaminants dynamic in the Mar Piccolo sediments that, despite a strong level of contamination, seems to not affect in a proportional manner the biological compartment.
2003
The Bagnoli Bay (southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Naples, Italy) has been impacted for about one century by heavy anthropogenic pollution due to an important steel plant. A multidisciplinary environmental research, aimed at the reclamation of the marine contaminated area, was planned in order to evaluate, through quantitative data, the chemical-physical and ecological characteristics of marine sediments; the latter ones are strictly related to the composition and structure of benthic foraminiferal assemblages. A comprehensive statistical approach, considering all data, was attempted in order to single out the influence of pollutants on the single species distribution. The results show strong heavy metal pollution (Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) in the vicinity of the industrial plant. Many foraminiferal species (Haynesina germanica, Miliolinella subrotunda, Quinqueloculina parvula), have a good tolerance to some trace metals while, Bulimina sublimbata, Elphidium macellum and Miliolinella dilatata show a good tolerance to PAHs pollution.