0000000000124249
AUTHOR
Andrew B. Cundy
Biogeochemical evaluation of historical sediment contamination in the Gulf of Palermo (NW Sicily): Analysis of pseudotrace elements and stable isotope signals
Abstract Sedimentary biogeochemical data from the Gulf of Palermo, which borders one of the major urban and industrial areas of the central Mediterranean, provide a decennial–centennial-scale record of the effects of human activity on this coastal environment. In this study we report trace elements (TE), C org /N tot ratios, δ 13 C org , and δ 15 N tot from dated ( 210 Pb) sediments collected in two coastal stations variably influenced by urban/fluvial loadings and illegal dumping and we compare them with published data for offshore sediments, in order to investigate at a large spatial scale the influence of on-land activities on sedimentary marine system. TE were generally low except for H…
Geochemistry and mineralogy of sediments and authigenic carbonates from the Malta Plateau, Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean): Relationships with mud/fluid release from a mud volcano system
Abstract A mud volcano field was recently discovered within the Malta Plateau in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea). Box-core sediments and associated authigenic carbonates have been collected in water depths of 140–170 m from two distinctive sectors of the area, and analyzed for major, trace and rare earth elements, stable isotopes, and mineralogy. Relative homogeneity in the mineralogy and geochemistry of bulk sediments, and 210Pb activity distributions, argue against an active mud ejection activity. In the Malta Plateau western sector, the sediments show high concentrations of Fe, As, Sb, and Mo, exceeding the background values estimated for the Strait of Sicily. Active flu…
Hyperstoichiometric interaction between silver and mercury at the nanoscale.
Breaking through the stoichiometry barrier: As the diameter of silver particles is decreased below a critical size of 32?nm, the molar ratio of aqueous HgII to Ag0 drastically increases beyond the conventional Hg/Ag ratio of 0.5:1, leading to hyperstoichiometry with a maximum ratio of 1.125:1 (see figure). Therein, around 99?% of the initial silver is retained to rapidly form a solid amalgam with reduced mercury.
Possible impacts of Hg and PAH contamination on benthic foraminiferal assemblages: An example from the Sicilian coast, central Mediterranean
The Palermo and Augusta urban/industrial areas (Sicily) are examples of contaminated coastal environments with a relatively high influx of unregulated industrial and domestic effluents. Three sediment box-cores were collected offshore of these urban/industrial areas in water depths of 60-150 m during two cruises (summers 2003/2004), dated by (210)Pb and (137)Cs, and analysed for total mercury concentration and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were also examined (in terms of their distribution and morphology) to assess the potential use of benthic foraminifera as bioindicators of pollutant input and environmental change in these Med…
The importance of dead seagrass (Posidonia oceanica)matte as a biogeochemical sink
We assessed the potential of dead seagrass Posidonia oceanica matte to act as a biogeochemical sink and provide a coherent archive of environmental change in a degraded area of the Mediterranean Sea (Augusta Bay, Italy). Change in sediment properties (dry bulk density, grain size), concentration of elements (Corg, Cinorg, N, Hg) and stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ 15N) with sediment depth were measured in dead P. oceanica matte and unvegetated (bare) sediments in the polluted area, and an adjacent P. oceanica meadow. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed a clear clustering by habitat, which explained 72% of variability in our samples and was driven mainly by the accumulation of N and H…
Trace element storage capacity of sediments in deadPosidonia oceanicamat from a chronically contaminated marine ecosystem
Posidonia oceanica mat is considered a long-term bioindicator of contamination. Storage and sequestration of trace elements and organic carbon (Corg) were assessed in dead P. oceanica mat and bare sediments from a highly polluted coastal marine area (Augusta Bay, central Mediterranean). Sediment elemental composition and sources of organic matter have been altered since the 1950s. Dead P. oceanica mat displayed a greater ability to bury and store trace elements and Corg than nearby bare sediments, acting as a long-term contaminant sink over the past 120?yr. Trace elements, probably associated with the mineral fraction, were stabilized and trapped despite die-off of the overlying P. oceanica…