Geochemical and microfaunal proxies to assess environmental quality conditions during the recovery process of a heavily polluted estuary: The Bilbao estuary case (N. Spain)

Leorri, Eduardo; Cearreta, Alejandro; Irabién, María Jesús; Yusta, Iñaki

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.02.009

Cited by 66 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…1). Although the concentrations have decreased in recent years both in waters and sediments (Leorri et al 2008;Tueros et al 2009), the presence of these substances can affect biological elements when they recolonise previous azoic areas (Borja et al 2006).…”

Section: From Hydrologicalmorphological Modificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns, Rates and Restoration Effectiveness

Borja

Dauer

Elliott

et al. 2010

Estuaries and Coasts

350

175

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Many estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems have increasingly experienced degradation caused by multiple stressors. Anthropogenic pressures alter natural ecosystems and the ecosystems are not considered to have recovered unless secondary succession has returned the ecosystem to the pre-existing condition or state. However, depending upon the scales of time, space and intensity of anthropogenic disturbance, return along the historic trajectory of the ecosystem may: (1) follow natural restoration though secondary succession; (2) be re-directed through ecological restoration, or (3) be unattainable. In order to address the gaps in knowledge about restoration and recovery of estuarine and coastal ecosystems, this special feature includes the present overview and other contributions to provide a synthesis of our knowledge about recovery patterns, rates and restoration effectiveness. From the 51 examples collated in this contribution, we refine the recovery from the list of stressors into six recovery mechanisms: (1) recovery from sediment modification, which includes all aspects of dredging and disposal; (2) recovery by complete removal of stressors limiting natural ecosystem processes, which includes tidal marsh and inundation restoration; (3) recovery by speed of organic degradation, which includes oil discharge, fish farm wastes, sewage disposal, and paper mill waste; (4) recovery from persistent pollutants, which includes chemical discharges, such as TBT; (5) recovery from excessive biological removal, related to fisheries and (6) recovery from hydrological and morphological modification. Drawing upon experience both from these many examples and from an example of one comprehensive study, we show that although in some cases recovery can take <5 years, especially for the short-lived and high-turnover biological components, full recovery of coastal marine and estuarine ecosystems from over a century of degradation can take a minimum of 15-25 years for attainment of the original biotic composition and diversity may lag far beyond that period.

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Section: From Hydrologicalmorphological Modificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns, Rates and Restoration Effectiveness

Borja

Dauer

Elliott

et al. 2010

Estuaries and Coasts

350

175

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“…Heavy metal accumulation in sediments is a source of growing interest and concern; therefore, the fate of heavy metals in the water environment has recently been the subject of extensive discussion [1][2][3][4]. Sediments contaminated with heavy metals have been found to enter aquatic environments via several pathways, including atmospheric deposition, industrial activities and agricultural activities [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heavy metal sources and associated risk in response to agricultural intensification in the estuarine sediments of Chaohu Lake Valley, East China

Tang

Shan

Zhang

et al. 2010

Journal of Hazardous Materials

204

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a b s t r a c tIn this study, the source and risk associated with heavy metals in the estuarine sediments of Chaohu Lake Valley in East China were studied. The results demonstrated that most metal contents (Cd, Pb and Zn) increased continuously from 0.21, 8.05 and 73.76 mg/kg in the substrate to 0.33, 17.20 and 100.22 mg/kg in the surface sediments on average, respectively, in all ten estuaries evaluated. In addition, the high proportion of chemically reactive forms of Cd (18.10-33.60%) implied a moderately high risk, while the risk associated with Pb and Zn was moderate in most estuaries. Enrichment factor (EF) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to assess the metal sources. The EF values of Cd, Pb and Zn (4.96, 3.68 and 2.25, respectively) indicated that they had accumulated in the estuarine sediments. Additionally, CA suggested that their primary sources were anthropogenic, namely the extensive use of fertilizers. Therefore, heavy metal pollution due to agricultural intensification in Chaohu Lake Valley should be taken into account during the formation of valley management strategies for the water environment.

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“…Due to their geomorphological and physicochemical properties, lagoons and estuaries are potential deposit areas for anthropogenic sediments, and the number of studies dealing with these subjects is increasing rapidly (JONES; TURKI, 1997;BIRCH;TAYLOR, 1999;CEARRETA et al, 2000CEARRETA et al, , 2002CUNDY et al, 2003;ELBERLING et al, 2003;PASTERNACK;BROWN, 2006;DONDERS et al, 2008;LEORRI et al, 2008). An important approach to the subject is related to the sedimentary record of this anthropogenic influence, which incorporates high resolution geochronology with proxies of different types so as to provide a reliable documentation of the contamination history of a given area (ALVE, 1991(ALVE, , 1995PLATER et al, 1998;APPEBY, 2004;LI et al, 2000;CHAN et al, 2001;CEARRETA et al, 2002;RUIZ-FERNÁNDEZ et al, 2007, among others).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic influences in a lagoonal environment: a multiproxy approach at the valo grande mouth, Cananéia-Iguape system (SE Brazil)

et al. 2009

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A B S T R A C TThe Cananéia-Iguape system, SE Brazil, consists of a complex of lagoonal channels, located in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. Nevertheless, important environmental changes have occurred in approximately the last 150 yrs due to the opening of an artificial channel, the Valo Grande, connecting the Ribeira de Iguape River to the lagoonal system. Our objective is to assess the historical record of the uppermost layers of the sedimentary column of the lagoonal system in order to determine the history of environmental changes caused by the opening of the artificial channel. In this sense, an integrated geochemicalfaunal approach is used. The environmental changes led significant modifications in salinity, in changes of the depositional patterns of sediments and foraminiferal assemblages (including periods of defaunation), and, more drastically, in the input of heavy metals to the coastal environment. The concentrations Pb in the core analyzed here were up to two times higher than the values measured in contaminated sediments from the Santos estuary, the most industrialized coastal zone in Brazil. R E S U M OO sistema Cananéia-Iguape (Sudeste do Brasil), consiste em um complexo de canais lagunares localizados no interior de uma Reserva da Biosfera (assim definida pela UNESCO). Não obstante, variações ambientais importantes ocorreram nos últimos 150 anos, devido à abertura de um canal artificial, o Valo Grande, conectando o Rio Ribeira de Iguape ao sistema lagunar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a história das variações ambientais no sistema lagunar, causadas pela abertura do canal artificial, através da análise das camadas superiores da coluna sedimentar de um testemunho coletado no sistema. Neste sentido, uma abordagem integrada, envolvendo variações geoquímicas e faunísticas foi utilizada. As variações ambientais ocorridas apontam para mudanças drásticas na salinidade, nos padrões de sedimentação, nas associações de foraminíferos (incluindo períodos azóicos) e, mais drasticamente, no aporte de metais para o sistema costeiro. As concentrações de Pb no testemunho coletado indicam valores duas vezes maiores do que os medidos em sedimentos contaminados do estuário de Santos, situado na zona costeira mais industrializada do Brasil.

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Geochemical and microfaunal proxies to assess environmental quality conditions during the recovery process of a heavily polluted estuary: The Bilbao estuary case (N. Spain)

Cited by 66 publications

References 53 publications

Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns, Rates and Restoration Effectiveness

Medium- and Long-term Recovery of Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems: Patterns, Rates and Restoration Effectiveness

Heavy metal sources and associated risk in response to agricultural intensification in the estuarine sediments of Chaohu Lake Valley, East China

Anthropogenic influences in a lagoonal environment: a multiproxy approach at the valo grande mouth, Cananéia-Iguape system (SE Brazil)

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