Anthropogenic Metal Delivery in Sediments of Porto Marghera and Venice Lagoon (Italy)

Bellucci, Luca Giorgio; Giuliani, Silvia; Mugnai, C.; Frignani, M.; Paolucci, Daniele; Albertazzi, S.; Fernandez, A.

doi:10.1080/15320380903390562

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, Hg is known to exert neurotoxic and genotoxic effects on humans once transformed into the bioaccumulable organometallic form mono-methylmercury [38][39][40], and its redistribution in the LV due to tidal forcing was recently reviewed [41]. Zn was found to exceed the limit (200 µg/g) less frequently, but it is by far the most abundant anthropogenic metal in the Lagoon of Venice [28,[42][43][44]. The concentrations of Hg and Zn in the SIN sediments are summarized in Table 1.…”

Section: Characterisation Of Sediments In Term Of Heavy Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of Morpho-Sedimentological Variations to the Fate of Hg- and Zn-Polluted Sediments in the Contaminated Site of Porto Marghera, Lagoon of Venice, Italy

Molinaroli¹,

Sarretta²,

Guimarães³

et al. 2013

JEP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New data collected from twenty-six sites during 2008 inthe contaminated Site of National Interest (SIN) of Porto Marghera within the Lagoon of Venice (Italy), which has been affected by the presence of an industrial zone for the last 80 years, were compared with data from a campaign performed in the same site 30 years before (1976-1978). The SIN was found to be heavily polluted in the earlier study, and several tons of Hg and Zn are still stored in soils and industrial channel sediments, potentially affecting the lagoon part of the SIN. Bathymetric variations, grain-size, Hg and Zn content in sediments were analysed. The severe contamination of the late 1970s (Hg 1.7 μg/g; Zn 754 μg/g) had fallen by the late 2000s (Hg 0.9 μg/g; Zn 225 μg/g). The fall in Hg and Zn contamination over the 30-year period was mainly linked to the patterns of geomorphological change inside the SIN that affected two distinct sub-areas: 1) a stable-depositional (SD) area in the Northern part, which exerted a “dilution” effect on contaminants, with significant deposition (~11%) of coarse-grained sediments (63 - 8 μm), and 2) an area characterised by moderate-to-severe-erosion (MSE) to the South, which saw the loss (~13%) of pollutant-bearing fine-grained sediments (<8 μm). A budget calculation in the MSE sub-area showed a loss of ~2.5 tons for Hg and ~700 tons for Zn over three decades, most of which was exported to other parts of the LV or at the open sea. A similar amount is still stored in the SD area, which will be subject to erosion if hydrodynamic conditions change in the future. This study provides useful support to decision-making systems by helping to select hot-spots for remediation measures.

show abstract

Section: Characterisation Of Sediments In Term Of Heavy Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of Morpho-Sedimentological Variations to the Fate of Hg- and Zn-Polluted Sediments in the Contaminated Site of Porto Marghera, Lagoon of Venice, Italy

Molinaroli¹,

Sarretta²,

Guimarães³

et al. 2013

JEP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several studies have demonstrated that heavy metal contamination is well recorded in sediments, and also pointed out that elevated heavy metal contents may be related to natural processes, such as weathering and erosion of adjacent rock formations, as well as anthropogenic inputs (Förstner and Wittmann 1979;Salomons and Förstner 1984). Although a great number of studies have focused on heavy metal contamination in rivers and lakes (e.g., Brügmann 1995;Mahler et al 2006;Nikolaidis et al 2004;Sanei et al 2001;Scherer et al 2003), geochemical surveys in lagoons (Bellucci et al 2010;Beltrame et al 2009;González et al 2007;Huang et al 1994;Siegel et al 1994) are essential as lagoons have been recognized among the most productive ecosystems within the biosphere. Lagoons are included in the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) as ecosystems requiring continuous monitoring and conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Geochemistry of surface sediments and heavy metal contamination assessment: Messolonghi lagoon complex, Greece

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Messolonghi lagoon complex in Western Greece receives agricultural and domestic effluents both from point and diffused sources. Surface sediments were analyzed for grain size, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total sulfur, major and minor elements, aiming at the identification of geochemical relationships between all variables. Enrichment factors and the modified degree of contamination methods were applied to assess potential heavy metal enrichment related to human activities. Sediment texture was highly variable, with muddy sediments prevailing. In the central sector of the Messolonghi lagoon, organic carbon contents were high. Principal factor analysis revealed the following main groups of variables with common geochemical behavior: (1) terrigenous aluminosilicates (2) organic matter, (3) biogenic carbonates, (4) mineral quartz-aluminosilicates, and (5) Mn-oxides. Enrichment factors estimated for V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb using local pre-industrial sediment showed that all metals exhibit almost natural background levels, except for Pb, which was found to be slightly elevated (legacy of leaded fuel). Estimation of contamination factors concluded in similar results, whereas the overall modified degree of contamination was at the lowest level, therefore suggesting that this transitional water body has not been affected by anthropogenic activities. The data set may be considered as a baseline for future monitoring projects according to EU policy.

show abstract

“…When dealing with researches aimed at studying environmental changes and industrial contamination, the attention is focused on a time window of 100-150 years and suitable chronological proxies must be measured in order to define the age of sediment layers. These are generally dated by the excess activities of naturally produced 210 Pb and the presence of anthropogenic radionuclides such as 137 Cs,Pu isotopes,and 241 Am (e.g., Desideri et al 2003Desideri et al , 2004Triulzi et al 2004;Bellucci et al 2010). Sediments deposited under undisturbed and continuous conditions can then be used to infer trends and changes of sedimentological processes as well as contaminant inputs and the effect of their drivers on impacted areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sediments deposited under undisturbed and continuous conditions can then be used to infer trends and changes of sedimentological processes as well as contaminant inputs and the effect of their drivers on impacted areas. This information is useful also to plan management actions and to verify the effectiveness of remediation measures set by national agencies (e.g., Díaz-Asencio et al 2009;Bellucci et al 2010Bellucci et al , 2012Niencheski et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the possibility to detect recent temporal changes in highly disturbed sedimentary records through sampling repetitions and core comparisons of porosity and sand content

Giuliani

Bellucci

Romano

et al. 2015

Environ Monit Assess

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dating of sediment cores in dynamic environments (such as tropical coastal lagoons) is often impossible to achieve, due to the difficulty to recover continuous and undisturbed records. Detailed temporal definition of environmental changes cannot be assured, but there is the possibility that information retained in such sediments can still provide useful insights on local or large-scale sedimentary dynamics, when a specific strategy is adopted. This latter consists in repeated core samplings at the same location and in the comparison of core profiles for basic and easily measurable parameters (porosity and sand content). This approach was tested on sediment cores, collected repeatedly during the period 2005-2010, at the same site of the Thi Nai Lagoon (central Vietnam). The proposed procedure was able to evidence the impact on lagoon sediments of activities linked to the construction of industrial settlements in the area, with dredging removing a consistent sediment layer from 2005 to 2008 and waste dumping providing additional sediment input in the following period. Simple statistic confirmed this scenario, together with core profiles of PCBs, As, Cd, Pb, and Zn. The procedure represents a simple tool to study coastal dynamics in places where the level of accuracy of traditional sediment radiodating cannot be reached. Several ameliorations are suggested in order to help developing the monitoring of sedimentary processes in poorly studied areas.

show abstract

Anthropogenic Metal Delivery in Sediments of Porto Marghera and Venice Lagoon (Italy)

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

Relationship of Morpho-Sedimentological Variations to the Fate of Hg- and Zn-Polluted Sediments in the Contaminated Site of Porto Marghera, Lagoon of Venice, Italy

Relationship of Morpho-Sedimentological Variations to the Fate of Hg- and Zn-Polluted Sediments in the Contaminated Site of Porto Marghera, Lagoon of Venice, Italy

Geochemistry of surface sediments and heavy metal contamination assessment: Messolonghi lagoon complex, Greece

Exploring the possibility to detect recent temporal changes in highly disturbed sedimentary records through sampling repetitions and core comparisons of porosity and sand content

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About