Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece
The Saronikos Gulf is under a lot of anthropogenic pressure, such as the urban expansion of the metropolitan area of Athens, the port of Piraeus and marinas, industrial activities, and tourism. Heavy metal pollution has been a major environmental problem in the area for many decades. Sedimentary cor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/3/376 |
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| author | Eleni Prifti Helen Kaberi Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou Panagiotis Michalopoulos Christina Zeri Stylianos Iliakis Manos Dassenakis Michael Scoullos |
| author_facet | Eleni Prifti Helen Kaberi Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou Panagiotis Michalopoulos Christina Zeri Stylianos Iliakis Manos Dassenakis Michael Scoullos |
| author_sort | Eleni Prifti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Saronikos Gulf is under a lot of anthropogenic pressure, such as the urban expansion of the metropolitan area of Athens, the port of Piraeus and marinas, industrial activities, and tourism. Heavy metal pollution has been a major environmental problem in the area for many decades. Sedimentary cores have proven to be an invaluable indicator of heavy metal pollution, as they can reveal not only the current metal inputs but also the evolution of pollution over time, and with the appropriate geochemical analyses, they can provide information on the potential toxicity of metals. In this study, the temporal evolution and the chemical speciation of eleven elements were examined in sediment cores from Elefsis Bay and the Inner Saronikos Gulf, with an emphasis on the emerging environmental hazards (V and Ag). The results showed extensive pollution of the sediments by Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, and Pb from the 1910s and 1960s in Eastern and Western Elefsis Bay, respectively. A significant decrease of the sediment enrichment in V, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Ag since 2000 was observed in the part of the Inner Saronikos Gulf that is mainly influenced by the WWTP of Athens. However, a toxicity assessment using the metal contents of the surface sediments showed that most of the trace elements studied still pose a moderate to high risk of toxicity to benthic ecosystems. The present study highlighted the urgent need for focused research and the management of trace element inputs, particularly Ag in the Inner Saronikos Gulf, where severe sediment modification was evident. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:34:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7d7835fcc5d446ffa718658724c722a0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:34:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-7d7835fcc5d446ffa718658724c722a02023-11-24T01:57:41ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-03-0110337610.3390/jmse10030376Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, GreeceEleni Prifti0Helen Kaberi1Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou2Panagiotis Michalopoulos3Christina Zeri4Stylianos Iliakis5Manos Dassenakis6Michael Scoullos7Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 19013 Anavyssos, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 19013 Anavyssos, GreeceLaboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 19013 Anavyssos, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 19013 Anavyssos, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), 19013 Anavyssos, GreeceLaboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, GreeceThe Saronikos Gulf is under a lot of anthropogenic pressure, such as the urban expansion of the metropolitan area of Athens, the port of Piraeus and marinas, industrial activities, and tourism. Heavy metal pollution has been a major environmental problem in the area for many decades. Sedimentary cores have proven to be an invaluable indicator of heavy metal pollution, as they can reveal not only the current metal inputs but also the evolution of pollution over time, and with the appropriate geochemical analyses, they can provide information on the potential toxicity of metals. In this study, the temporal evolution and the chemical speciation of eleven elements were examined in sediment cores from Elefsis Bay and the Inner Saronikos Gulf, with an emphasis on the emerging environmental hazards (V and Ag). The results showed extensive pollution of the sediments by Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, and Pb from the 1910s and 1960s in Eastern and Western Elefsis Bay, respectively. A significant decrease of the sediment enrichment in V, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Ag since 2000 was observed in the part of the Inner Saronikos Gulf that is mainly influenced by the WWTP of Athens. However, a toxicity assessment using the metal contents of the surface sediments showed that most of the trace elements studied still pose a moderate to high risk of toxicity to benthic ecosystems. The present study highlighted the urgent need for focused research and the management of trace element inputs, particularly Ag in the Inner Saronikos Gulf, where severe sediment modification was evident.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/3/376metal pollutionSaronikos Gulfmetal speciationsedimentsrisk assessment |
| spellingShingle | Eleni Prifti Helen Kaberi Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou Panagiotis Michalopoulos Christina Zeri Stylianos Iliakis Manos Dassenakis Michael Scoullos Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece Journal of Marine Science and Engineering metal pollution Saronikos Gulf metal speciation sediments risk assessment |
| title | Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece |
| title_full | Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece |
| title_fullStr | Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece |
| title_short | Vertical Distribution and Chemical Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Dated Sediment Cores from the Saronikos Gulf, Greece |
| title_sort | vertical distribution and chemical fractionation of heavy metals in dated sediment cores from the saronikos gulf greece |
| topic | metal pollution Saronikos Gulf metal speciation sediments risk assessment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/3/376 |
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