Search results for "Sediment"
showing 10 items of 1648 documents
Aquaculture impact on benthic microbes and organic matter cycling in coastal Mediterranean sediments: a synthesis
2003
Microbial assemblages and organic matter composition as well as their response to the disturbance induced by mussel and fish-farm biodeposition were compared in several areas of the Mediterranean: La Spezia (Ligurian Sea), Gaeta (Tyrrhenian Sea), Cattolica (Adriatic Sea) and Cyprus (Levantine Sea), on both unvegetated and Posidonia bed sediments. In all systems investigated, organic matter (as biopolymeric carbon) accumulated in aquaculture impacted sediments. Among the main biochemical classes, lipids appeared to be a good tracer of aquaculture impact, especially in fish-farm sediments. Exoenzymatic activities displayed higher values in sediment beneath the cages, indicating faster organic…
Trace element storage capacity of sediments in dead P. oceanica mat from a chronically contaminated marine ecosystem
2017
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…
Hatching Success of Caretta caretta on a Mediterranean Volcanic Beach: Impacts from Environmental Parameters and Substrate Composition
2022
New data on the potential impact of environmental parameters and the mineralogical nature of the substrate on the hatching success of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta on a volcanic beach on Linosa Island in the central Mediterranean Sea are reported. During 2 years of investigation (2018-19), five nests were observed. The temperature and moisture of the nests were determined along with the grain size and mineralogical nature of the substrate. The temperature values of the nests recorded at depths of 5 and 35 cm showed an average temperature incubation of 32.2°C ± 1.4°C and 32.8°C ± 1.6°C, respectively, with peaks close to 37°C. The sedimentological analysis carried out on two cores…
ASPRACOAST: A model of integrated coastal zone management of the eastern part of the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy)
2009
ASPRACOAST: Modello di gestione ambientale della fascia costiera del comune di Bagheria
2008
Trace metal contamination in a mediterranean coastal pond (Acquatina, Puglia)
2011
As the interface between land and sea, transitional areas are often negatively impacted by anthropic activities. This impact is the result of many processes, including direct input of pollutants which accumulate in both sediments and aquatic organisms. The aim of this paper is to identify trace metal (As, Cd, total Hg and Pb) contamination in the Acquatina pond (Apulia, Italy), using sediment and fish (A. boyeri, C. labrosus, D. annularis, D. dentex, D. sargus, D. vulgaris, E. encrasicholus, G. paganellus, L. ramada, M. surmuletus, S. salpa, S. solea) as descriptors. Sampling was carried out in three stations (South, Central and North) and four seasons (summer and autumn 2007, winter and sp…
Analysis and assessment of trace element contamination in offshore sediments of the Augusta Bay (SE Sicily): A multivariate statistical approach base…
2014
Abstract An application of multivariate statistical methods is provided to identify anthropogenic contaminants and lithogenic elements in offshore sediments collected near the heavily industrialized Augusta Bay, Sicily. An exploratory statistical technique, based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and mixture density estimation approach, is used for distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic contributions of trace elements in the investigated sediments. Following the intensive industrialization of Augusta area, marine sediments reveal the severe impact of local anthropogenic activities for many elements (e.g. As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sb), which are considered very dangerous for the en…
Trace elements and PAHs in surface sediments and biota from a contamination hot spot (Augusta Bay, Italy): potential export to the adjoining coastal …
2013
Heterotrophic bacteria community and pollution indicators of mussel--farm impact in the Gulf of Gaeta (Tyrrhenian Sea).
2001
Field studies were carried out to determine and compare the impact of organic loads due to the biodeposition of a mussel farm on the water quality and sediment in a coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). A total of five environmental and five microbial parameters were examined from March, 1997 to February, 1998 on a monthly basis at three stations: the first was located under the mussel farm, the second located at about 40 m away from the mussel farm, while the third designed as a control was at about 1-km. No clear changes in the physical characteristics of the water masses were observed, comparing the three sampling sites and the water column generally showed homogene…