Bioaccumulation of potentially toxic elements in Ammonia tepida (foraminifera) from a polluted coastal area

International audienceThis work documents the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the sediment and in tests of Ammonia tepida, one of the most common benthic foraminifera species in coastal environments worldwide. It aims to analyze if the presence of PTEs in the carbonate test of this species is related to metals concentration in the sediment aiming its application in paleoenvironmental studies. Three chambers of fifty A. tepida specimens from contaminated and uncontaminated sediments from the Sepetiba Bay, one of the most polluted coastal systems from the SE Brazil, were analyzed using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with an X-ray Dispersive Energy Spectrometer. The results reveal the presence of lithogenic elements and PTEs in the tests of A. tepida. Relatively high values of Pb, Hg and Sn were found in specimens recovered from both polluted and unpolluted sediment layers. The bioaccumulation index revealed higher enrichment of Cd and Cr in tests from sediments moderately to heavily polluted by Cd and to a lesser extent by Cr. The results suggest that the incorporation of metals might be controlled and affected by several factors, such as the water residence time, availability of the metals, and biogeochemical processes. As a result, applications of this method utilizing A. tepida for paleoenvironmental studies do not appear to be feasible without further research

Long-term eutrophication and contamination of the central area of Sepetiba Bay (SW Brazil)

: This work sheds light on the recent evolution (≈1915-2015 AD) of Sepetiba Bay (SB; SE Brazil), a subtropical coastal lagoon on the southwestern Brazilian coast, based on a multiproxy approach. Variations in geochemical proxies as well as textural, mineralogical and geochronological data allow us to reconstruct temporally constrained changes in the depositional environments along the SP3 sediment core collected from the central area of SB. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the substrate of the study site was composed of coarse-grained sediments, largely sourced from felsic rocks of proximal areas and deposited under moderate to strong shallow marine hydrodynamics. Since the 1930s, the study area has undergone silting and received high contributions of materials from mafic rocks sourced by river basins. The SP3 core reveals a shallowing-upward sequence due to human-induced silting with significant eutrophication since the middle of 1970, which was caused by significant enrichment of organic matter that was provided by not only marine productivity but also continental and human waste. In addition, the sediments deposited after 1980 exhibit significant enrichment and are moderately to strongly polluted by Cd and Zn. Metals were dispersed by hydrodynamics from the source areas, but diagenetic processes promoted their retention in the sediments. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) indicates that the level of high (considerable) ecological risk is in sediments deposited in ≈1995 (30-32 cm; subsurface). The applied methodology allowed us to understand the thickness of the bottom sediment affected by eutrophication processes and contaminants. Identical methodologies can be applied in other coastal zones, and can provide useful information to decision makers and stakeholders that manage those areas

Ecological quality status of the NE sector of the Guanabara Bay (Brazil): A case of living benthic foraminiferal resilience

The ecological quality status of the NE region of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil), one of the most important Brazilian embayments, is evaluated. For this purpose, sediment samples from in the inner of the Guanabara Bay (GB) were collected and analyzed (grain-size, mineralogy, geochemistry and living foraminifera). In this study, it is hypothesized that the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) concentrations, in solution and associated with organic matter (OMPTEs, potential nutrient source), may represent two potential pathways to impact benthic foraminifers. A multiproxy approach applied to complex statistical analyses and ecological indexes shows that the study area is, in general, eutrophic (with high organic matter and low oxygen content), polluted by PTEs and oil. As a consequence, foraminifera are not abundant and their assemblages are poorly diversified and dominated by some stress-tolerant species (i.e., Ammonia tepida, Quinqueloculina seminula, Cribroelphidium excavatum). The results allow us to identify a set of species sensitive to eutrophication and OMPTEs. Factors such as the increase of organic matter contents and OMPTEs and, in particular of Zn, Cd and Pb, the oxygen depletion and the presence of oil, altogether contribute to a marked reduction in the abundance and diversity of foraminifera. Ammonia-Elphidium Index and the Foram Stress Index confirm that the NE zone of GB is, in general, "heavily polluted", with "poor ecological quality status" and experiences suboxic to anoxic conditions. In light of it, special attention from public authorities and policymakers is required in order to take immediate actions to enable its environmental recovery