engleski

Assessment of marine sediment quality of Rovinj coastal area and Lim Bay estuary

The NE Adriatic Sea is a shallow sea subject to major anthropogenic influences such as industry, agriculture, tourism, and municipal wastewater discharges. To determine the temporal trend and changes in the state of the marine environment in the local coastal area, marine sediment samples were collected in 2022 at sites exposed to different anthropogenic influences. The upper sediment layer (< 3 cm) was collected with a grab at five stations: S1 - Local Port, S2 - Shipyard, S3 - Lim Bay Out, S4 - Lim Bay Middle and S5 - Open Sea (3 NM off Rovinj). Analysed were granulometry, water content, TOC, 16 PAHs, PCBs and heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn). The results of the chemical analyses of the sediments were evaluated against the regional values for the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas and the SQGs (five Norwegian and three French sediment categories) including the ecological risk assessment according to QPEC. Most of the sediments analysed were found to be within the background concentration range or below the thresholds for the ecotoxic metals, 16 PAHs, and ΣPCB analysed, with the exception of sites S1 (ΣPAH 3.18 mg/kg) and S2 (ΣPAH 3.64 mg/kg and ΣPCB 0.89 mg/kg d.w.). Despite some minor increases compared to previous results, all measured values are below the French N1 threshold level with QPEC values < 1.00, indicating no ecological risk and good environmental quality of the coastal area of Rovinj and Lim Bay (Mamindy et al., 2011 ; Pelikan et al., 2022).

Heavy metals ; PAHs ; PCBs ; Sediment quality guidelines ; Marine sediment quality

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