Chapter The offshore environmental impact by Sarno river in Naples bay (South-West Italy)

The goal of this work has been to establish the influence of the Sarno river on the present sedimentation in the Naples bay continental shelf by evaluating organic matter contribution and pollution. Sediments samples were collected, by van Veen grab, in 71 stations located offshore the Sarno river between Vesuvian and Sorrento Peninsula coasts. The characteristics of the surface sediments were analysed to highlight spatial trends in the (i) granulometry (grain-size); (ii) total nitrogen, organic carbon and total phosphorus; (iii) metal content (Hg, Cd, Pb, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn)

Multivariate tools to investigate the spatial contaminant distribution in a highly anthropized area (Gulf of Naples, Italy)

The Gulf of Naples located in a high anthropized coastal area is subjected to an infrastructural intervention for the installation of a submarine power pipeline. In order to evaluate the distribution of contaminants in the seafloor sediments, a preliminary study has been conducted in the area using multivariate techniques. The statistic approach was performed to gain insights on the occurrence of organic and inorganic contaminants within the area, aiming to identify the relevant hot spots. Three geographical sub-areas influenced by different contaminant association were recognized: Torre Annunziata (TA), Capri (CA), and middle offshore (MO). TA and CA resulted marked by a severe contamination pattern due to anthropogenic pressures. In addition, the influence of the depositional basin in governing the contamination trend has been pointed out. The supervised technique PLS_DA resulted to be a powerful tool in addressing the complexity of the huge dataset acquired during the marine survey, highlighting the main trends in the variability of quality indicators, orienting thus the deeper investigations during follow-up monitoring activities

Integrated environmental characterization of the contaminated marine coastal area of Taranto, Ionian Sea (southern Italy)

The Project RITMARE (la Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE\u2014Italian Research for the sea) is one of the national research programs funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. RITMARE (2012\u20132016), coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR), and has involved an integrated effort of most of the scientific community working on marine and maritime issues. Within the project, different marine study areas of strategic importance for the Mediterranean were identified: among these, the coastal area of Taranto (Ionian Sea, southern Italy) was chosen for the presence of large industrial settlements and their impact on the marine environment

Benthic fluxes of mercury in a highly industrialized coastal environment (Mar Piccolo, Taranto, Italy)

Coastal areas of the city of Taranto (Italy), have suffered from intense anthropic and industrial pressures (notably an iron and steel factory, a petroleum refinery, and the Italian Navy shipyard and arsenal) and were declared a \u201cContaminated site of national interest\u201d in 1998. Previous research showed significant heavy metal contamination of the Mar Piccolo sediments, with higher concentrations in the first inlet where the Navy arsenal is located. High sedimentary Hg contents, in particular, are a cause of concern, given its possible transfer to the aquatic trophic chain and considering the widespread fishing and mussel farming activities in the area. Up to 48 8 \u3bcg g-1 of total Hg were measured in the Mar Piccolo sediments, while the concentration in seafood was below the limit established by the European Community (0.5 mg/kg w.w.) with the exception of the gastropod Hexaplex t., sampled in proximity of the Navy Arsenal. As Hg is considered a priority pollutant for its toxicity, mobility, and bioaccumulation potential (especially in its organic form methylmercury), a further investigation on the role of sediments as a potential source of Hg to the Mar Piccolo aquatic ecosystem was conducted. The research was carried out in the framework of the \u201cRITMARE - la Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE (2012-2016)\u201d Flagship Project, financed by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR). The release of Hg from sediments was investigated by means of an in situ benthic chamber, as previously described for other Hg contaminated coastal areas of Italy

Accumulo di cadmio e zinco nel crostaceo isopode Idotea baltica. Effetti dello zinco e della sua interazione col cadmio sul polimorfismo enzimatico e della fosfoglocomutasi (PGM) nel crostaceo isopode Idotea baltica

PS-CNR problematiche scientifiche e sviluppo di metodologie inerenti al monitoraggio automatico di dati concernenti l'inquinamentomarino nel Mezzogiorno, Coordinatore Antonino CavaliereSIGLEITItal

Mobility of heavy metals from polluted sediments of a semi-enclosed basin: in situ benthic chamber experiments in Taranto\u2019s Mar Piccolo (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy)

In situ benthic flux experiments were conducted at two stations in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Italy), one of the most industrialised and ontaminated coastal areas of the Mediterranean. Sediments of the two stations are notably different in their trace metal content, with a station closer to a Navy harbour showing higher mean concentrations of almost all investigated metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Vand Zn). Conversely, both stations are characterised by significant Hg contamination, compared to the local baseline. Results of a sequential extraction scheme on surface sediments suggest a relatively scarce mobility of the examined metals (Zn > Ni > Cr > As > Cu > Pb). A Hg-specific extraction procedure showed that most of the element (93.1 %) occurs in a fraction comprising Hg bound to Fe/Mn oxi-hydroxides. Reduction of these oxides may affect Hg remobilisation and redistribution. Porewater profiles of dissolved trace metals were quite similar in the two sites, although significant differences could be observed for Al, Cu, Fe and Hg. The highest diffusive fluxes were observed for As, Fe and Mn. Mobility rates of several trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) were directly measured at the sediment\u2013 water interface. Results from benthic in situ incubation experiments showed increasing dissolved metal concentrations with time, resulting in higher fluxes for Cu, Fe, Hg, V and Zn in the most contaminated site. Conversely, fluxes of Mn, Ni and Pb were comparable between the two stations. The estimated flux of Hg (97 \u3bcg m 122 day 121) was the highest observed among similar experiments conducted in other highly contaminated Mediterranean coastal environments. Benthic fluxes could be partially explained by considering rates of organic matter remineralisation, dissolution of Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides and metal speciation in sediments. Seasonal and spatial variation of biogeochemical parameters can influence metal remobilisation in the Mar Piccolo area. In particular, metals could be promptly remobilised as a consequence of oxygen depletion, posing a serious concern for the widespread fishing and mussel farming activities in the area

Influence of chemical parameters (heavy metals, organic matter, sulphur and nitrogen) on toxicity of sediments from the Mar Piccolo (Taranto, Ionian Sea, Italy)

We studied the influence of heavy metals, organic matter (subdivided into humic compounds and not humified organic matter which represents all organic matter fractions except for humic and fulvic acids), total sulphur and nitrogen content on the toxicity of sediments from the Mar Piccolo, a semienclosed basin located near the city of Taranto (Southern Italy). In sediments, we found high level of total lead and zinc concentration but a very low bavailable metal concentrationQ, that consists in the metal fraction extractable into MgCl2 solution at pH 7, for all heavy metals. Moreover, cluster analysis pointed to a common source of organic matter, sulphur, nitrogen, lead, copper, zinc and mercury. As regards the ecotoxicological results, sediments were found to be characterized by a number of toxic units (T.U.) ranging from 1305 to 3693 T.U., indicating a medium/high toxicity level. Multiple linear regression analysis carried out using available lead, nickel and manganese concentrations, as well as sulphur and nonhumic carbon as independent variables and toxicity units as the dependent variable, accounted for a good percentage of the total variance of data (R2=91%). Nevertheless, sulphur and not humic carbon were the only significant components ( p-value: 0.022 and 0.023, respectively)