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Pollution in Estuaries and Coastal Marine Waters

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 13577

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain
Interests: pollution; organic pollution; metal pollution biomonitoring; toxicity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Estuaries and coastal areas are of great ecological importance given the set of high-value ecosystems they encompass. These spaces have been subjected, in the last few decades, to a process of accelerated economic and demographic growth and actions without planning, which have led to the appearance of environmental problems. The installation of industrial sites in coastal areas has had a notable environmental impact due to their high levels of pollution. On the other hand, the tourism boom has led to a process of urbanization of coastal areas with very diverse impacts, such as alterations in the dynamics of the coastline, the transformation of landscapes, and the discharge of untreated or insufficiently treated urban wastewater.

In recent decades, pollution of estuaries and coastal areas has been a major environmental problem that affects not only waters but also aquatic sediments and living organisms.

I invite you to contribute to this Special Issue with an original research or review article related to the pollution of estuaries and coastal areas.

Prof. Dr. José Morillo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Pollution in estuary waters
  • Pollution in coastal marine waters
  • Organic pollution
  • Metal pollution
  • Biomonitoring
  • Sediment toxicity
  • Macrobenthic community
  • Integrated sediment quality index
  • Anthropogenic contamination.

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1550 KiB  
Article
Occurrence and Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Marine Surface Microlayer of an Industrialized Coastal Area in the Eastern Mediterranean
by Aikaterini Sakellari, Sotirios Karavoltsos, Ipek Moutafis, Konstantinos Koukoulakis, Manos Dassenakis and Evangelos Bakeas
Water 2021, 13(22), 3174; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223174 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2348
Abstract
Concentrations of dissolved and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined seasonally in sea surface microlayer (SML) and sub-surface water (SSW) within the Saronicos Gulf, Greece, close to a highly industrialized coastal zone. For the 16 US EPA priority PAHs, the sum of [...] Read more.
Concentrations of dissolved and particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined seasonally in sea surface microlayer (SML) and sub-surface water (SSW) within the Saronicos Gulf, Greece, close to a highly industrialized coastal zone. For the 16 US EPA priority PAHs, the sum of dissolved PAHs (∑dPAHs) concentrations ranged from 40.4 to 237 ng L−1 in SML, 22.8–180 ng L−1 in SSW0.2, whereas the corresponding concentrations in suspended particulate matter (∑pPAHs) were 30.8 to 177 ng L−1 and 36.8–171 ng L−1, respectively. The enrichment factor (EF) for dissolved ∑dPAHs varied from 0.9 to 2.1 with a mean value of 1.5 (n = 10) being statistically significantly greater than unity, whereas for particulate ∑pPAHs, no enrichment of the SML was reported. Enrichment factors of 5–6 ring PAHs were higher near the industrial zone. The possible sources, fate, and toxicity of PAHs are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution in Estuaries and Coastal Marine Waters)
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11 pages, 2158 KiB  
Article
Study on Total Control of Total Nitrogen in the Laizhou Bay
by Haohong Peng, Haoyi Geng, Xinyan Mao, Jie Shi and Xianqing Lv
Water 2021, 13(17), 2439; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13172439 - 5 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2766
Abstract
Human activity imposes a stronger and increasing impact on the coastal environment by land-based discharge and run-off pollution inputs. Land-based total nitrogen (TN) pollution, as the main cause of eutrophication in the Laizhou Bay, China, should be controlled effectively. Based on a three-dimensional [...] Read more.
Human activity imposes a stronger and increasing impact on the coastal environment by land-based discharge and run-off pollution inputs. Land-based total nitrogen (TN) pollution, as the main cause of eutrophication in the Laizhou Bay, China, should be controlled effectively. Based on a three-dimensional pollution transport model, 20 groups of allocation schemes were designed under the requirement that the allocations of three estuaries in the inner bay were adjusted properly, while the two estuaries in the outer bay, i.e., the Yellow River and the Jiehe River, were kept unchanged. The statistical results show that the area ratio of heavily polluted seawater to the entire Laizhou Bay reached the maximum (35.14%) when the load allocation of the Xiaoqinghe River accounted for a high proportion (65%), and the Yuhe River and the Jiaolaihe River accounted for 15% and 20%, respectively. Overall, the pollution levels of the Laizhou Bay were positively associated with the allocation of the Xiaoqinghe River. Reducing pollutant allocation in the Xiaoqinghe River contributed most to the improvement of the seawater quality of the entire Laizhou Bay, and it was followed by a reduction in the Yuhe River and the Jiaolaihe River. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution in Estuaries and Coastal Marine Waters)
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18 pages, 4004 KiB  
Article
Sediment Contamination by Heavy Metals and PAH in the Piombino Channel (Tyrrhenian Sea)
by Pitacco Valentina, Mistri Michele, Granata Tommaso, Moruzzi Letizia, Meloni Maria Laura, Massara Francesca, Sfriso Adriano, Sfriso Andrea Augusto and Munari Cristina
Water 2021, 13(11), 1487; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13111487 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3395
Abstract
Sediment contamination is of major concern in areas affected by heavy maritime traffic. The spatial variation and contamination of 11 trace elements and 17 PAHs in surface sediments were studied along a 31 km transect along the seaway from the port of Piombino [...] Read more.
Sediment contamination is of major concern in areas affected by heavy maritime traffic. The spatial variation and contamination of 11 trace elements and 17 PAHs in surface sediments were studied along a 31 km transect along the seaway from the port of Piombino (Tuscany) to the port of Portoferraio (Elba Island) in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Heavy metal contamination was detected at sites near Piombino (Ni, Pb, Hg, Cu and Zn) and at sites near Portoferraio (Pb, Zn, Hg, Cr and Cd). Each of the 35 sampled sites showed PAH contamination, with the highest concentrations at sites near Portoferraio. The most abundant isomers detected were 2- and 4-ring PAHs. PAH ratio analysis showed a prevalence of PAHs of pyrolytic origin. High values of PAHs and heavy metals were related to high sediment water content, TOC, silt, and clay content. Arsenic increased with increasing depth. The correlation between concentrations of metals and PAHs suggests common anthropogenic sources and is of concern for possible synergistic adverse effects on the biota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution in Estuaries and Coastal Marine Waters)
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21 pages, 2765 KiB  
Article
Implications of Nutrient Enrichment and Related Environmental Impacts in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Characterizing the Seasonal Influence of Riverine Input
by Lixia Niu, Pieter van Gelder, Xiangxin Luo, Huayang Cai, Tao Zhang and Qingshu Yang
Water 2020, 12(11), 3245; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113245 - 19 Nov 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3294
Abstract
The Pearl River estuary is an ecologically dynamic region located in southern China that experiences strong gradients in its biogeochemical properties. This study examined the seasonality of nutrient dynamics, identified related environmental responses, and evaluated how river discharge regulated nutrient sink and source. [...] Read more.
The Pearl River estuary is an ecologically dynamic region located in southern China that experiences strong gradients in its biogeochemical properties. This study examined the seasonality of nutrient dynamics, identified related environmental responses, and evaluated how river discharge regulated nutrient sink and source. The field investigation showed significant differences of dissolved nutrients with seasons and three zones of the estuary regarding the estuarine characteristics. Spatially, nutrients exhibited a clear decreasing trend along the salinity gradient; temporally, their levels were obviously higher in summer than other seasons. The aquatic environment was overall eutrophic, as a result of increased fluxes of nitrogen and silicate. This estuary was thus highly sensitive to nutrient enrichment and related pollution of eutrophication. River discharge, oceanic current, and atmospheric deposition distinctly influenced the nutrient status. These factors accordingly may influence phytoplankton that are of importance in coastal ecosystems. Phytoplankton (in terms of chlorophyll) was potentially phosphate limited, which then more frequently resulted in nutrient pollution and blooms. Additionally, the nutrient sources were implied according to the cause–effect chains between nutrients, hydrology, and chlorophyll, identified by the PCA-generated quantification. Nitrogen was constrained by marine-riverine waters and their mutual increase-decline trend, and a new source was supplemented along the transport from river to sea, while a different source of terrestrial emission from coastal cities contributed to phosphate greatly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution in Estuaries and Coastal Marine Waters)
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