Fractionation analysis of some heavy metals in sediments of the north-western part of the Red Sea,Egypt

Sequential extraction was used to study operationally determined chemical forms (exchangeable, carbonate, reducible metal, oxidisable metal and the residual fractions) of the metals Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in sediments from 12 sample sites collected from the north-western part of the Red Sea, where improper recreational facilities have resulted in diverse impacts on the coastal environments fronting some of the recreation projects. The results showed that the average percentage of each phase was different among metal types; the residual binding fraction was the most important phase for binding Zn and to a lesser degree Cu. The reducible fraction was the second most important phase for Zn and Cu. For Pb, the fractions bounded to the residual fractions and the reducible phases are equal and exhibited the highest percentages. By contrast, the carbonate fraction was predominant for Cd. The percentages of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb associated with the carbonate and exchangeable fractions, which are potentially the most harmful to the environment, were calculated and assessed at different sampling sites of the studied sediments. According to the Risk Assessment Code (RAC), the results reveal that Cd is the only metal that poses a high risk to the environment.     

Combining heat-transfer and energy budget models to predict thermal stress in Mediterranean intertidal mussels

Recent studies have emphasised that organisms can experience physiological stress well within their geographic range limits. Developing methods for mechanistically predicting the presence, absence and physiological performance of organisms is therefore important because of the ongoing effects of climate change. In this study, we merged a biophysical–ecological (BE) model that estimates the aquatic (high tide) and aerial (low tide) body temperatures of Mytilus galloprovincialis with a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model to predict growth, reproduction and mortality of this Mediterranean mussel in both intertidal and subtidal environments. Using weather and chlorophyll-a data from three Mediterranean sites along the Italian coasts, we show that predictions of sublethal and lethal (acute) stress can potentially explain the observed distribution (both presence and absence) of mussels in the intertidal and subtidal zones, and the maximum size of animals in the subtidal zones. Importantly, our results suggest that different mechanisms limit the intertidal distribution of mussels, and that these mechanisms do not follow a simple latitudinal gradient. At the northernmost site (Palermo), M. galloprovincialis appears to be excluded from the intertidal zone due to persistent exposure to lethal aerial temperatures, whereas at the southernmost sites (Porto Empedocle and Lampedusa) sublethal stress is the most important driver of mussel intertidal distribution. Our predictions provide a set of hypotheses for future work on the role of climate change in limiting intertidal distribution of mussels in the Mediterranean.     

Microbial hydrolysis of polysaccharides and organic phosphates in the Northern Adriatic Sea

g -glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase, two ectoenzymes involved in the microbial decomposition of polysaccharides and organic phosphates, were evaluated in water samples collected from two areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea during the multidisciplinary Prisma II research project. The distribution of g -glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase is reported together with that of leucine aminopeptidase, an enzyme involved in the degradation of protein compounds. The data obtained showed the prevalence of g -glucosidase in summer months in the northern area, located in front of the Po delta, while in winter it is higher in the southern area (in front of Ancona). Phosphatase activity during February, 1998 had a maximum of 107 r nml m 1 h m 1 at a coastal station in the northern area; this enzyme appeared to be mainly associated with phytoplankton because the increase in alkaline phosphatase was associated with the increase of phytoplankton biomass, measured by chlorophyll a content. The relations between the microbial activities and environmental parameters are discussed.     

Microbial respiratory and ectoenzymatic activities in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

The carbon transfer through the microbial community in two areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea was estimated by proteolytic and respiratory activities during four oceanographic surveys carried out in June, 1996, 1997 and February, 1997, 1998. In front of the Po Delta (area A), the mean rates of proteolytic activity range from 4.9 to 9.9 r µg r C r h r l; near Ancona (area B), they range from 3.1 to 7.6 r µg r C r h r l. Respiratory rates vary between 0.19 and 2.29 and between 0.24 and 1.40 r µg r C r h r l in areas A and B, respectively. In general, high rates occur in the surface layers, within the first 10 r m of depth. In area A, proteolytic and respiratory rates undergo seasonal course, with high activity in warm periods. In area B, respiration and bacterioplankton abundance increase from the first to the second year, whilst proteolytic activity decreases. The sequence of metabolic steps in the carbon transfer within the bacteria, from the biotic vs . the abiotic compartment, was drawn in order to define the actual role of bacterial biomass in the biogeochemical fluxes in an ecosystem which often suffers distrophic crises. Respiratory turnover rates, in the upper 10 r m depth, reach low values in cold periods and high values in June, 1997. The carbon transfer versus mineralization flows better in the summer period, in particular in June, 1997. However, the bacterial growth efficiency ranges from 17 to 38% in area A and from 13 to 44% in area B with highest values in February, 1997, when bacteria contribute in a relevant way to the overall respiration.     

Spatial and seasonal variability of dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the Southern Adriatic coastal waters

The main objective of this paper is to present vertical and horizontal patterns of dissolved oxygen and nutrients found during four seasonal surveys (March, June, September and December 2000) in the Southern Adriatic Sea coastal waters. The multivariate technique Principal Component Analysis has been applied to our dataset considering the following parameters: seawater temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate). The resulting plot shows in a self-explanatory way that a seasonal trend was not observable in the investigated period and that no significant differences occur between the stations sampled in the Taranto Gulf and those along the Adriatic coast. Water column stratification persists in all seasons, except in spring, in the shallowest stations. The surface layer is characterized by a low nutrient content. The influence of the Northern Adriatic Surface Water in the Southern Adriatic sub-basin seems to be very low and can be traced by nitrate and silicate only in spring and winter. Regarding deep waters, nitrate distribution shows an increasing gradient moving from the coast to the open sea, having the lowest concentration in the shelf area and the highest in the most offshore stations of the Otranto Strait. In the Otranto Strait area the vertical distributions of physical and chemical parameters show, at middle depths, the inflow of Levantine Intermediate Water, traced by both the maximum of salinity, nitrate and phosphate and the minimum of oxygen. The LIW signal is lost moving northward. The outflow of Adriatic Dense Water is less evident, being traced only in spring by an oxygen increase at the bottom layer in the shelf area. The N:P ratio is highly variable but in the range already observed in the Southern Adriatic, suggesting a P-limitation, which can both contribute to the low primary productivity of the area and support the N:P ratio anomaly of the Eastern Mediterranean.     

Chemistry,mineralogy and radioactivity in posidonia oceanica meadows from North-Western Sicily

This paper presents measurements of major, minor, metal trace elements and radionuclides in sediments and in Posidonia oceanica samples from north-western Sicily (Italy). The mineralogical and chemical composition of sediments were determined by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence techniques, respectively. A flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to measure concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in P. oceanica samples and in sediments. Specific activities of selected radionuclides have been determined by high-resolution gamma spectrometry. Standard statistical analysis was used to assess correlations between different elements and different sample types.     

Phytoplankton photosynthetic activity and growth rates in the NW Adriatic Sea

Taxonomic composition, biomass, primary production and growth rates of the phytoplankton community were studied in two stations in the NW Adriatic Sea on a seasonal basis, in areas characterized by differing hydrological and trophic conditions. The main differences between the two stations were quantitative rather than qualitative, most phytoplankton species being common to both stations. The effects of differing nutrient concentrations and plume spreading were evident. Biomass and primary production rates were significantly higher in the coastal station (S1), and the phytoplankton distribution in the water column was markedly stratified in S1 and more even in the offshore station (S3). However, chlorophyll a specific production, potential growth rate and production efficiencies were very similar in both stations, even when phosphorus concentrations were limiting. A discrepancy between potential and actual growth rate was observed: as a feature common to both stations, comparisons between potential and actual growth rates revealed that little carbon produced by phytoplankton accumulated as algal biomass; therefore, very high loss rates were estimated.     

Heavy Metal Pollution in Sediment from the Eastern Adriatic Coast,Croatia

Abstract

Sediment samples were collected from the Adriatic Sea in areas near large coastal towns along the eastern Adriatic coast (Zadar, [Ncirc]ibenik, Split, Plo?e and Dubrovnik).

Considerable quantities of untreated effluents are discharged via freshwater runoff and a variety of industrial waste waters, significantly affecting the quality of marine sediments.

Distribution of some trace metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn, Mn, Cd, and Al) involved in problems related to metal pollution in Adriatic sediment were examined. Values are expressed as a total concentration of heavy metals of sediment dry weight.

Spatial distribution of some trace metal values in sediments and correlation of results for grain size effect were examined. the trace elements in marine sediments generally remain in the fine grained fraction, often in the silt-clay fraction. Higher values of heavy metals in some areas (Split, Sibenik) could be attributed to anthropogenic effects, i.e. to land-based activities. the main cause of higher values of some metals at open sea sites and in some coastal areas are probably caused naturally by sedimentation processes in those areas. Our results show that the sediments undoubtedly play a key role in determining the transport and ultimate fate of contaminants.     

Spatial Variations of Heavy Metals in the East China Sea Continental Shelf Surface Sediments

Surface sediments collected from continental shelf of the East China Sea were analyzed for heavy metals (iron, manganese, copper, zinc, lead, cadmium), carbonate, organic carbon contents, and grain sizes. the range of concentrations observed were iron: 0.3-1.3 wt%, manganese: 2.3-14 μmole/g, copper: 7.1-184 μmole/g, zinc: 0.16-0.77μmiole/g, lead: 15-98 μmole/g, cadmium: 0.17-3.9 μmole/g, carbonate: 3.6-87 wt%, sand: 10-100%, silt: 0-70% and clay: 0-50%.

A zonal distribution pattern of the heavy metals was found in the East China Sea Continental shelf sediments. High concentrations of most heavy metals, organic carbon and fine-grained sediments were observed in the inner shelf zone, especially those near the discharge of the Yangtze River. Concentrations of these heavy metals decreased from the inner shelf to the shelf break region. High concentrations of metals were also found in sediments near Taiwan. Iron concentrations decreased north-east of the central shelf region. High concentrations of cadmium were found in the shelf break region where biogenic carbonate is predominant. This study showed that biogenic carbonate in the East China Sea shelf break region and the terrigenous sediments from the Yangtze River and island of Taiwan were the major sources of heavy metals. Heavy metal concentrations were strongly influenced by the content of the coarse-grained quartz sand present in the sediments.     

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) Pollution in Sea of Japan

Abstract

Deep waters of the Sea of Japan and surface waters of the Pacific Coast of Honshu and the northeast Sea of Japan were analysed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pollution. the ΣPCB concentrations in solution in the Sea of Japan (50–3000 m) were between 140 and 1230 fg dm_?3. the space-integrated surface water concentration near the Pacific coast of northern Honshu was 140 fg dm_?3and for the surface water of the Sea of Japan was 230 fg dm_?3. Based on these analyses four water masses were deduced in the Sea of Japan during the summer months. It is shown for the first time in the Sea of Japan that polychlorinated biphenyls are excellent chemical indicators of not only the anthropogenic pollution, but also water masses.