engleski

Mineralogical and geochemical assessment of marine peloids used for therapeutic purposes from Lokrunja Bay nearby the Pag salt pans (Eastern Adriatic)

Coastal marine sediment quality is being affected nowadays by a combination of human activities, such as coastal pollution and nutrient enrichment from urban and agricultural runoff, solid-waste leachate, mining spoils and atmospheric deposition. Improper management of urban and industrial waste may greatly affect the quality of coastal marine sediments and all littoral habitats types. Despite regulatory and practical advances in source reduction, disposal of wastes continue to be source of contaminants to the coastal environment. Coastal zone development, first of all urbanization and tourism, altered flow regimes because of coast protection works or modification of water flow. Contaminants are mostly associated with fine-grained materials and/or are characteristic of specific sources or input periods. Four sites were chosen within the salt pan lagoons and canal from Lokrunja Bay nearby the Pag salt pans (Eastern Adriatic) in order to reflect the possible anthropogenic influence on the peloids quality. For each sampling location, a sediment column of up to 15 cm was cut into 5-cm-slices and the mineralogical, chemical and morphological composition of three typical samples was determined. It was found that calcite and quartz are predominant mineral phases, while the concentrations of trace metals, which indicate the anthropogenic influence, are lower than the threshold effect concentrations proposed by generally accepted marine sediments quality standards (Table 1). Accordingly, peloids can be proposed as suitable for therapeutic purposes. However, notable variations in trace metals concentrations among the sampling sites indicate anthropogenic contamination on specific sampling site within the lagoon.

Coastal marine sediment quality

nije evidentirano