Geochemical characterization and environmental status of Makirina Bay sediments (northern Dalmatia, Republic of Croatia)

Abstract

This research focuses on determination of the mineralogical composition, geochemical characteristics and evaluation of pollution status of the Makirina Bay sediments. Calculated enrichment factor (EF) values show no enrichment (< 1) for Cd, Ni, and Zn, minor enrichment (< 3) for As, Cu, and Pb, and minor to moderate enrichment for Mo. The results of the sequential leaching procedure for the aforementioned potentially toxic elements (PTE) indicates that the mobility and bioavailability characteristics of the PTE studied declined in the following order: Mo > Cd > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cu > As. Principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis confirmed the PTE distribution depends mainly on the geogenic mineral components and anthropogenic activities in the areas surrounding the bay. Calculated transfer factor (TF) values from sediment to seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (C. nodosa) were < 1, showing that despite the results of the sequential extraction procedure, PTE transfer from sediment to roots was not effective.

Holocene foraminiferal and geochemical records in the coastal karst dolines of Cres Island, Croatia

“…Examples of the previously conducted research of sediment geochemistry in the marginal marine environments along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea include studies of the Veliko and Malo Jezero (CUCULIĆ et al, 2009;SONDI et al, 2017), Mir (MLAKAR et al, 2015) and Zmajevo oko (MIHELČIĆ et al, 1996) marine lakes. Furthermore, the geochemical composition of sediments from the shallow marine environments in Bakar Bay (CUKROV et al, 2014) and Makirina Cove (ŠPARICA at al., 2005;MIKO et al, 2008;KOMAR et al, 2015) was studied extensively. Most of these studies focused on deciphering natural and anthropogenic metal enrichment and geochemistry was not used in order to reconstruct palaeoenvironments.…”

Benthic organisms as ecological indicators for the status assessment of coastal ecosystems

“…The only larger village nearby is Pirovac, with ~2000 inhabitants. The depth of the sea barely exceeds 0.5 m in the southern part of the bay and increases seawards to a depth of 4.5 m. The bottom of Makirina Bay is covered by a sediment body (up to 3 m thick), overgrown mostly by the seagrass C. nodosa (Šparica et al , 2005; Vreča & Dolenec, 2005; Miko et al , 2008; Komar et al , 2014, 2015a, b). The rocks in the upper-infralittoral belt of the bay are covered by macroalgae.…”

“…The rocks in the upper-infralittoral belt of the bay are covered by macroalgae. The sediment of Makirina Bay has been extensively studied since it is frequently used for therapeutic and/or cosmetic treatments (Šparica et al , 2005; Vreča & Dolenec, 2005; Miko et al , 2008; Komar et al , 2014, 2015a, b).

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“…Currently, few studies are available regarding the concentrations of PTE in the various organisms of the Adriatic Sea (Gavrilović et al , 2004; Kljaković-Gašpić et al , 2004, 2007; Bogdanović et al , 2014; Bille et al , 2015; Ujević et al , 2015). Our recent papers (Komar et al , 2014, 2015a, b) mainly focused on PTE accumulation and their speciation in recent marine sediments in Makirina Bay (Central Adriatic). The results of the enrichment factors (EF) and sequential leaching procedure indicated the human-induced introduction of arsenic (As), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) into the sediments.…”

“…The results of the enrichment factors (EF) and sequential leaching procedure indicated the human-induced introduction of arsenic (As), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) into the sediments. The introduction of As and Cu is mainly a result of agricultural activity in the surrounding area, while the presence of Pb is primarily related to traffic (Komar et al , 2015a).…”