Pollutant Pb burden in Mediterranean Centroscymnus coelolepis deep-sea sharks.

We report lead (Pb) analyses in juvenile (n = 37; mean length = 24.7 ±â€¯2.3 cm) and adult (n = 16; mean length = 52.3 ±â€¯9.3 cm) Centroscymnus coelolepis Mediterranean deep-sea sharks that are compared to Pb content in bathy-demersal, pelagic and shallow coastal sharks. Median Pb concentrations of C. coelolepis muscle (0.009-0.056 wet ppm) and liver (0.023-0.061 wet ppm) are among the lowest encountered in shark records. Stable Pb isotope imprints in adult C. coelolepis muscles highlight that most of Pb in C. coelolepis is from human origin. Lead isotopes reveal the persistence of gasoline Pb emitted in the 1970s in low-turnover adult shark's muscle while associated liver imprints are in equilibrium with recent pollutant Pb signatures suggesting an efficient pollutant Pb turnover metabolism. The comparison of Pb distribution between adult and juvenile cohorts suggests the role of dietary exposure and possible maternal offloading of Pb during gestation, likely associated to vitellogenesis in this aplacental viviparous deep-sea shark.

Anthropogenic metal contamination and sapropel imprints in deep Mediterranean sediments.

Sediment cores from the deep Balearic basin and the Cretan Sea provide evidence for the accumulation of Cd, Pd and Zn in the top few centimeters of the abyssal Mediterranean sea-bottom. In both cores, 206Pb/207Pb profiles confirm this anthropogenic impact with less radiogenic imprints toward surface sediments. The similarity between excess 210Pb accumulated in the top core and the 210Pb flux suggests that top core metal inventories reasonably reflect long-term atmospheric deposition to the open Mediterranean. Pb inventory in the western core for the past 100 years represents 20-30% of sediment coastal inventories, suggesting that long-term atmospheric deposition determined from coastal areas has to be used cautiously for mass balance calculations in the open Mediterranean. In the deeper section of both cores, Al normalized trace metal profiles suggest diagenetic remobilization of Fe, Mn, Cu and, to a lesser extent, Pb that likely corresponds to sapropel event S1.

Normalization to lithium for the assessment of metal contamination in coastal sediment cores from the Aegean Sea, Greece.

Sediment cores from the harbour and the coastal zone of Mytilene, island of Lesvos, Greece, were used to study the metal contamination caused by the discharge of untreated urban effluents into the sea. In the harbour. the upper layers were highly enriched in Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, while no metal enrichment was recorded in the cores from the wider coastal zone. The metal data were normalized to Li (conservative element) to compensate for the natural textural and mineralogical variability. It was found that only the upper 18 cm of the core collected from the harbour of Mytilene could be reported as metal contaminated. Also, through the normalization procedure, it was found that the surface layers of coastal sediments assumed 'clean' were enriched in Pb, probably as a result of atmospheric transportation of the metal from the nearby town.

Geochemistry of natural and anthropogenic metals in the coastal sediments of the island of Lesvos, Aegean Sea.

The geochemistry of metals in the harbor and coastal zone of the town of Mytilene (island of Lesvos, Aegean Sea, Greece) was studied after normalization of the metal data to a conservative element. In the study area, Li was proven to be better suited than Al for such normalization and it was able to describe successfully the natural metal variability of the coastal sediments. Metal contamination (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) was recorded in the harbor sediments, while no pollution signs were detected in the wider coastal zone or the sediments of the ancient harbor, at the northern part of the town. The geochemical normalization of metal data to Li is a method that can detect the degree of metal contamination taking into consideration the natural metal variability in the sediments of a study area.

Spatial and temporal variability of composition of urban effluents in the island of Lesvos, Greece.

The spatial and temporal variability in the composition of effluents of the coastal town of Mytilene, island of Lesvos, Greece, was investigated in 8 sewers of the town. Differences were found in the quality of effluents between the old and new parts of the town and were attributed mainly to the different design and construction of the sewers, as well as to the occasional discharge of septage into the sewerage network in parts of the town. During summer the population and water consumption increase, leading to partial dilution of the organic load. However, in the same period (July), the concentrations of dissolved Zn and particulate Pb were enriched. The reasons for such an increase are not clear. At present the seasonal metal peaks (Pb and Zn) are attributed to the increased traffic (Pb and Zn) and to increased corrosion under the prevailing weather conditions of the water supply network, which includes a very large number of galvanized storage tanks (Zn).

Impact of human activities on the quality of river water: The case of Evrotas River catchment basin, Greece.

The impact of point (domestic and industrial effluents) and non-point (agricultural land runoff) pollution sources on the quality of the receiving waters of the Evrotas River (Laconia, Greece) was investigated during a monitoring study from August 1991 to August 1992. The part of the river which was located near the city of Sparta was seasonally influenced by the discharge of effluents from orange juice plants (operating during winter) and by the discharge of septage for the emptying of cesspools which are serving part of the city. The low dilution of incoming pollutants (septage) during the low water flow in summer lead to the decreasing self-purification capacity of the river and the development of septicity conditions in some of its parts. In the vicinity of intensively cultivated areas, the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus which were detected in the river water during winter and spring may be partly attributed to the leaching of the applied fertilizers because of nirogen mobilization and soil erosion, following the season's precipitations. The protection of the Evrotas River water Quality must therefore include adequate treatment of the septage produced in the area, as well as the construction of wastewater treatment plants for the major industries of the area. The non-point pollution could be controlled by the restoration of the Evrotas riparian vegetation, together with a more rational use of fertilizers in the area.