engleski

Mercury from the wreckage of a sunken ancient merchantman (Gnalić, Biograd na Moru, Croatia): a long-term danger to the marine life

In the cargo of the ship that sank in the sixteenth century near the islet of Gnalić, Croatian Eastern Adriatic (Fig. 1), mercury (500 - 1000 kg) was present in various forms: elemental mercury, ore cinnabar (HgS), and vermillion powder (HgS, opaque red pigment). In order to determine the potential impact on the marine life mercury was analysed in different organisms (fishes, shellfishes, molluscs, crabs and echinoderms) collected and caught around the wreck. Elevated to extremely high mercury concentrations in the investigated organisms indicate the high risk of mercury loads to the marine environment and the need to remove it from the archaeological site.

mercury ; organisms ; sea wreck ; contamination

nije evidentirano