Measuring anthropogenic impacts on an industrialised coastal marine area using chemical and textural signatures in sediments: A case study of Augusta Harbour (Sicily, Italy) (original) (raw)

Case study of contaminated sediments in a harbour area

2003

To deepen the water column near the docking area of a yacht club, the sediments need to be removed from a selected area to facilitate the passage of the larger yachts. Prior to dredging, the quality of the sediments needed to be determined. Sampling and analysis of a series of sediments in the proposed dredging area were performed. Two sets of samples were taken within the proposed dredging zone. The first set consisted of surface samples taken with a Birge Ekman sampler and the second set were core composite samples to reach sediments of approximately 46 cm in depth (the proposed dredging depth). Overall, the samples in the extreme regions will need to be handled with care due to contamination most likely from boat maintenance and from upstream industries. The sediments cannot be disposed of in open water. The region needs to be defined by further sampling. The middle region could potentially be disposed of in open water. In order for open water disposal to occur, samples would nee...

Assessment of environmental pollutants in ten southern Italy harbor sediments

Toxicology and Industrial Health, 2009

In 2003-2006, the distribution of macronutrients and pollutants of environmental interest was investigated in surficial sediments collected from 10 southern Italy harbors selected in four different regions. About 167 stations were sampled to determine levels of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, trace elements (Al, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, Hg, As), short-and long-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons (Hy C > 12 and Hy C < 12), and concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], p-p-Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4′-DDE), and Hexachlorobenzene (HCB). General relationships between studied variables and harbors systems were explored by multivariate statistical approaches. Results show that wide fluctuations are reported for all variables both among harbors and inside each studied system. Principal components analysis suggests that major significance in explaining total average variability is due to lead, copper, zinc, silts, sands, and PAHs. No significance has been observed when testing nonmetric multidimensional scaling distributions relating with the factor "region," while performing analyses on factor "main human activity," a higher significance is observed. These results suggest a strong relationship between the main human use of marine systems and observed pollution levels in sediments.

X-Ray Core Scanners as an Environmental Forensics Tool: A Case Study of Polluted Harbour Sediment (Augusta Bay, Sicily)

Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research, 2015

Since the 1970s the highly industrialised and enclosed Augusta Bay (Sicily) has become internationally recognized as a polluted environment that could represent a hazard to human health. The pollutant of greatest concern, derived from a former chlor-alkali plant, is mercury that exists beyond Intervention Levels in parts of the harbour. The affected areas are also contaminated by other heavy metals and organic compounds (PAHs and PCBs) that were mainly discharged from co-located petrochemical industries. Several previous investigations established the magnitude of particular contaminants in sediments and evaluated the impact of the pollution on a range of biota. The current study, which represented part of a larger project managed by the Italian Environmental Research Institute ISPRA, was concerned with investigating a series of cores collected across the harbour area to establish reliable pollution chronologies based on elemental and radiochronological (137 Cs) profiles. The declared motivation for the main project was to acquire scientific evidence that could be used to support a legal investigation against the industries that caused the pollution and who could potentially be expected to contribute to remediation costs. Undisturbed cores were collected from the northern (mildly polluted), central (significantly polluted) and southern (strongly polluted) parts of the Bay using available bathymetric data to avoid areas affected by dredging. The study has demonstrated the value of using an automatic, X-ray sediment core scanner (Itrax) to acquire high-resolution geochemical data. The Itrax provided a non-destructive, sensitive and rapid capability to systematically analyse a broad range of major and trace elements. One of the collected cores of this study, taken from the most polluted site,

Contaminated ground and contaminated estuary sediment illustrated by two case histories

Environmental Geology, 1997

Contaminated ground forms a problem in all of the industrialized countries of the world. Contaminated ground may give rise to hazards and that implies a degree of risk which also involves a problem of definition. The investigation of a site which is suspected of being contaminated differs somewhat from a routine site investigation. Sampling of soil, groundwater and gas-producing material may be required. Various precautions may be necessary to do this and personnel may have to wear protective clothing. The first case history considered involves a site investigation for a relief sewer in Glasgow. As the site investigation progressed it ran into made-ground which contained chemical waste. The presence of this waste meant that the nature of the investigation changed and much more stringent safety precautions had to be taken. It also meant that the initial location of the sewer tunnel had to be repositioned at greater depth in uncontaminated sandstone rather than in the superficial deposits above. The other case history considers the contamination of sediments in the Forth Estuary. When trace metals are released into the water column they can be transferred rapidly to the sediment phase by adsorption onto suspended particulate matter, followed by sedimentation. Intertidal flats may be considered as important trace metal sinks since they accumulate large amounts of suspended matter. Hence, in polluted estuaries the deposition of suspended particles on intertidal flats may thus cause severe contamination. The Forth Estuary has unique contamination for British estuaries; it is experiencing significant Hg pollution. In addition, due to the presence of a nuclear submarine base in the Forth Estuary, 60 Co is detectable in the interti-dal sediments. Temporal and spatial contamination patterns were analysed in relation to historical and present pollution point sources. The effect of fluvial and marine sediment mixing on trace metals and other processes controlling contaminant levels is reviewed. Preliminary results on quantifying sediment accretion rates using Caesium levels are discussed.

Assessment of sediment contamination and sampling design in Savona Harbour, Italy

Marine pollution bulletin, 2015

A method for assessing environmental contamination in harbour sediments and designing the forthcoming monitoring activities in enlarged coastal ecosystems is proposed herein. The method is based on coupling principal component analysis of previous sampling campaigns with a discrete optimisation of a value for money function. The objective function represents the utility derived for every sum of money spent in sampling and chemical analysis. The method was then used to assess actual contamination and found to be well suited for reducing the number of chemicals to be searched during extended monitoring activities and identifying the possible sources of contamination. Data collected in Savona Harbour (Porto Vado), Italy, where construction of a new terminal construction is planned, were used to illustrate the procedure. 23 chemicals were searched for within a total of 213 samples in 68 sampling points during three monitoring campaigns. These data were used to test the procedure. Subseq...

Integrated approach of multiple environmental datasets for the assessment of sediment contamination in marine areas affected by long-lasting industrial activity: the case study of Bagnoli (southern Italy)

Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2019

Purpose The Bagnoli's brownfield site (southern Italy) is an environmental priority for the Italian Government and is currently considered as a case study for the definition and application of innovative approaches to ecosystem recovery after a prolonged pollution history and eventual steel plant decommissioning. Materials and methods Here, we analyse high-quality datasets that constrain the distribution patterns and sources of contaminants in the coastal zone facing the site where the steel plant operated for almost one century. Innovative statistical approaches provide new insights into the temporal and spatial distribution of anthropogenic impacts, documented over the last 30 years, following lines of evidence emerging from investigations on grain size, TOC, heavy metals, PAHs, PCBs and high-resolution morpho-bathymetric information. Results and discussion The results derived from statistical analysis, referred also to the seafloor morphological variability, highlighted the presence of recent disposal of highly contaminated sediments and their potential pathways of dispersion to wider and deeper water zones. Conclusions The adopted multidisciplinary approach yields fundamental information towards an effective and proper ecosystem recovery of highly contaminated marine coastal areas and provides at the same time, a sound base for the refitting of decommissioned industrial plants.

Sediment characterisation of Favignana Harbour, Egadi Island, Italy

2015

Italy is a country where multiple activities are located along the coast. Those activities make the handling of marine sediments a topic of particular interest with high relevance from the socio-economic point of view (sednet.org). In this paper the sediment characterization of the Favignana Harbour (Egadi Archipelago) is presented by describing the site-specific conceptual model of contamination and by referring the results of analytical tests carried out on superficial sediment samples. Low level of contamination was found but a potential source of contamination was relocated and an innovative management option was implemented by using sediment to facilitate tourism through creation of sport facilities on shore.

Source Apportionment Assessment of Marine Sediment Contamination in a Post-Industrial Area (Bagnoli, Naples)

Water

The area of Bagnoli (Gulf of Naples, central Tyrrhenian Sea) has been heavily exposed to pollution for over a century due to the presence of industrial sites along its coastline. The aim of this study is to analyze contaminant concentrations (i.e., heavy metals and hydrocarbons) in seabed sediments through a statistical multivariate approach. Multivariate methods permit us to describe the pollution dynamics affecting the area and distinguish between anthropogenic and natural pollution sources. Additionally, the association between contamination patterns and the wave climate characteristics of the gulf (i.e., wave period, direction, height, power, and energy) is investigated. The study confirms that the main contamination source in the Bagnoli bay is anthropogenic activities (i.e., former steel plant and sewage discharges) for the majority of investigated pollutants. It also provides evidence, however, for the potential co-existence of multiple anthropogenic and geogenic sources of a...

Current status of coastal sediments contamination in the former industrial area of Bagnoli-Coroglio (Naples, Italy)

Chemistry and Ecology, 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of contamination due to the heavy metal and organic substances (PAHs, HC >12, organotin compounds, PCB, DDD, DDE, DDT) pollution of the sediments from the coastal area of the Bagnoli brownfield (Naples, Italy) and draw some hypotheses on the origin and trends of industrial and also geogenic contamination. Surface sediments and cores were collected and analysed. The results showed remarkable concentrations of heavy metals, PAHs, and other substances that are significantly higher than the national guideline values of sea sediment quality. Correlation analyses and spatial distribution analyses showed that generally the inorganic and organic pollutants have similar patterns, confirming the common origin from the industrial activity, but also that some of the studied metals have some natural contribution originated from the geologic setting of the area. The distribution of most of the heavy metals (especially Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn, partially Cr and Ni) and PAHs are similar, and the highest concentrations were recognised between and just off the piers, but a diffuse contamination is widespread up to the external areas of the site perimeter, rising concern on the diffusion of contaminants to the whole Gulf of Pozzuoli.