6533b85ffe1ef96bd12c2618
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The key role played by the Augusta basin (southern Italy) in the mercury contamination of the Mediterranean Sea.
Elvira OliveriMassimo GabelliniRoberto SaggiomoVincenzo SaggiomoAdriana BellancaSalvatore MazzolaMario SprovieriGiorgio TranchidaFrancesca BudillonRodolfo NeriMarco BarraAntonella AusiliRossella Di LeonardoElena Romanosubject
010504 meteorology & atmospheric scienceschemistry.chemical_element010501 environmental sciencesManagement Monitoring Policy and LawStructural basin01 natural sciencesMediterranean seaOcean gyreMediterranean SeaWater Pollution ChemicalSeawater14. Life underwater0105 earth and related environmental sciencescomputer.programming_languagegeographygeography.geographical_feature_categoryPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthSedimentGeneral MedicineMercury6. Clean waterMercury (element)Settore GEO/08 - Geochimica E VulcanologiaOceanographychemistryHg sediment Augusta basinItaly13. Climate actionHarbourSeawaterSubmarine pipelinecomputerGeologyWater Pollutants ChemicalEnvironmental Monitoringdescription
The Augusta basin, located in SE Sicily (southern Italy), is a semi-enclosed marine area, labelled as a highly contaminated site. The release of mercury into the harbour seawater and its dispersion to the blue water, make the Augusta basin a potential source of anthropogenic pollution for the Mediterranean Sea. A mass balance was implemented to calculate the HgT budget in the Augusta basin. Results suggest that an average of ∼0.073 kmol of HgT is released, by diffusion, on a yearly basis, from sediments to the seawater, with a consequent output of 0.162 kmol y(-1) to coastal and offshore waters; this makes the Augusta area an important contributor of mercury to the Mediterranean Sea. Owing to the geographical location of the Augusta basin, its outflowing shelf-waters are immediately intercepted by the surface Atlantic Ionian Stream (AIS) and mixed with the main gyres of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, thus representing a risk for the large-scale marine system.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-10 | Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM |