The role of the Gulf of Cadiz circulation in the redistribution of trace metals between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

The GoC shelf waters present much higher concentrations of dissolved Cu, Cd, and Zn than other coastal areas, constituting an important source of these elements onto its neighbouring basins, i.e., the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In this study we assessed the role of the GoC surface currents in the trace metals transport. For this purpose, ten dissolved (<0.22 µm) trace metals were sampled (Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn, V) along the GoC continental shelf, and their spatial and temporal distribution was interpreted according to the surface circulation. Results show that the complex surface circulation over the shelf confines the metals concentration mainly along the inner shelf and determines their transport patterns: under southeastward currents, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb are transported toward the Mediterranean Sea; under northwestward countercurrents, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn are transported toward the southern and, occasionally, the western Portuguese shelf; under variable currents, Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn tend to accumulate near their source. Considering that some of these metals have not been analysed before in this region (Ag, Mo, V), or that the spatial distribution of certain metals (Ag, Fe, Mo, Pb, V) has not been interpreted in terms of the ocean circulation, this work could be considered as a baseline study for future comparisons.

Trace metal characterization and fluxes from the Guadiana, Tinto-Odiel and Guadalquivir estuaries to the Gulf of Cadiz.

Metals transported into the coastal zone by the South Iberian rivers are key to understand the biogeochemical cycles and distribution of trace elements in the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC hereinafter) and the exchange with the Mediterranean Sea. Previous studies carried out in the 80s have suggested that metal enrichment in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) is related with fluvial inputs from acid mine drainage from the Tinto and Odiel rivers. The present study evaluates the contribution of dissolved trace metal concentrations (i.e. Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) from the three main rivers discharging into the GoC (i.e. Guadiana, Tinto-Odiel and Guadalquivir rivers). Our results show that the metal composition of water discharged from each river is impacted by the activities developed in the course of the rivers, which clearly influence the GoC coastal surface waters composition. Metal fluxes from the Guadalquivir river are quantitatively higher than those from the Tinto-Odiel (e.g. up to 73% and 19% higher for Ni and Cu, respectively). Although the metal concentrations spatial distributions in the GoC are dominated by the circulation pattern between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, the concentrations within the GoC continental shelf could be explained by a greater contribution from the Guadalquivir estuary (e.g. 80.5%, 54.6%, 56.5% and 56.6% for Ni, Cu, Mo, and V respectively).

Sources and coastal distribution of dissolved organic matter in the Gulf of Cadiz.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major component of the organic matter pool, playing a key role in the global ocean functioning. However, studies on DOM in waters of many ocean regions, such as the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC), are poorly known. Advanced aquatic sensors enable autonomous for long-term deployments in situ collection of high frequency DOM data using fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) as a proxy. The present study evaluates the relevance of FDOM, the estuarine influence and the environmental factors that determine its spatial distribution in the GoC. Our results suggest that the GoC water mass, under the estuarine influence of three main rivers, is receiving large amounts of DOM transported mainly by Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers and much less from Tinto-Odiel. Salinity is the main factor explaining the FDOM variability within the Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers and in the inner shelf of the GoC. In the outer shelf of the GoC, plankton-produced DOM could explain the persistent spatial pattern of FDOM, playing an important role in the dynamics of FDOM from the North area of the GoC through the persistent low-salinity Eastern North Atlantic Central Water. The oceanographic dynamics and the spatial pattern of FDOM concentration in the continental shelf of the GoC suggest a net transport of FDOM through the GCC (Gulf of Cadiz Current) to the Mediterranean Sea.

Flow regime in a restored wetland determines trophic links and species composition in the aquatic macroinvertebrate community.

In a restored wetland (South of Spain), where different flow regimes control water exchange with the adjacent Guadalquivir estuary, the native Palaemon varians coexists with an exotic counterpart species Palaemon macrodactylus. This controlled m\acrocosm offers an excellent opportunity to investigate how the effects of water management, through different flow regimes, and the presence of a non-native species affect the aquatic community and the trophic niche (by gut contents and C-N isotopic composition) of the native shrimp Palaemon varians. We found that increased water exchange rate (5% day(-1) in mixed ponds vs. 0.1% day(-1) in extensive ponds) modified the aquatic community of this wetland; while extensive ponds are dominated by isopods and amphipods with low presence of P. macrodactylus, mixed ponds presented high biomass of mysids, corixids, copepods and both shrimp species. An estuarine origin of nutrients and primary production might explain seasonal and spatial differences found among ponds of this wetland. A combined analysis of gut contents and isotopic composition of the native and the exotic species showed that: (1) native P. varians is mainly omnivorous (2) while the non-native P. macrodactylus is more zooplanktivorous and (3) a dietary overlap occurred when both species coexist at mixed ponds where a higher water exchange and high abundance of mysids and copepods diversifies the native species' diet. Thus differences in the trophic ecology of both species are clearly explained by water management. This experimental study is a valuable tool for integrated management between river basin and wetlands since it allows quantification of wetland community changes in response to the flow regime.

A multiple stressor approach to study the toxicity and sub-lethal effects of pharmaceutical compounds on the larval development of a marine invertebrate.

We studied the effects of three common pharmaceutical compounds on growth, development and body mass of larval stages of the marine shrimp Palaemon serratus at different temperatures and salinities. The pharmaceuticals compounds tested were the anti-inflammatory and analgesic diclofenac sodium, the lipid regulator clofibric acid and the fungicide clotrimazole. Neither diclofenac nor clofibric acid had any effect on growth, development or survival, although the maximum concentrations tested were 40 times higher than those observed in European coastal waters. Clotrimazole had significant effects at the higher concentration (2.78 µg L(-1)) when larvae were reared in full salinity sea water (32 PSU) and at the lower concentration (0.14 µg L(-1)) when larvae were reared at 20PSU. Changes in body mass at larval stage resulted from effects of these compounds on growth and developmental rates, specifically the changes in intermoult duration and in the number of larval instars required to reach the juvenile stage. The results demonstrate that the effects of emergent compounds on growth and development may be stronger when organisms are under some additional stress.

Nekton response to freshwater inputs in a temperate European estuary with regulated riverine inflow.

The aim of this 12-year study was to assess the nekton (fish, decapod crustaceans) response to freshwater inputs (rainfall, dam discharges) in a temperate estuary with regulated riverine inflow. Although interannual variability in river discharges to the Guadalquivir estuary has been extremely high since the construction of a dam in 1930, a significant decreasing trend in the dam's discharges has been observed in the last 80 years. During this study, an alternation of wet, standard and dry years occurred in the estuarine area but no significant long-term trend was observed. River discharge, in turn, showed a considerable interannual variability and a significantly decreasing long-term trend. Freshwater inputs had an immediate effect on estuarine salinity and turbidity, and consequently on prey availability (mysids). Although 124 nektonic species were collected, only 47 of them (adding up to 99.7% of total abundance) were regularly present in the estuary: 32 marine migrants, 13 estuarine species and 2 diadromous species. Well-defined temporal changes in species composition and abundance yielded clear seasonal patterns in the estuarine nektonic community. Considerable intermonth and interannual changes were occasionally observed relating to freshwater inputs, mainly in winter/autumn of wet years. Thus, within each two-month period, some significant interannual differences in the nektonic community were also observed, with marine migrants tending to be more abundant in dry years. However, changes in the studied nektonic community did not show long-term trends. In conclusion, natural and human-controlled freshwater inputs currently play a significant role in determining the physicochemical conditions and the biota of the Guadalquivir estuary. However, although freshwater input seemed to transitorily affect the estuarine nekton, either directly (flushing out) or indirectly (through changes in salinity, turbidity and prey availability), a quick reestablishment of the estuarine nekton (strong resilience) was observed following freshwater inputs together with the recovery of environmental conditions within the estuary.