کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
4476541 | 1315598 | 2016 | 6 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
• Resuspension processes of particulate mercury modify marine secondary sources.
• Shallow water coastal sites reveal changes in anthropogenic mercury distribution.
• Sediment transport processes of mercury affect associated ecological risks.
• Environmental relaxation is valid when mercury burial is terminal.
We have assessed the redistribution of a secondary source of sedimentary anthropogenic mercury in the Haifa bay (HB) area (SE Levantine basin), which is the northern sink for Nile-driven sand. A long-term (30 years) ~ 80% decrease of the total sedimentary mercury concentrations (THg) was recorded in the inner bay, while an up to 3-fold increase was recorded in the top sediments of the outer bay. Sedimentary THg depth profiles and their temporal variability were used to model the main re-distribution processes, mainly resuspension associated with winter storm-derived transport. This mechanism transforms a secondary, sandy and well-aerated sink into a tertiary, more silty and hypoxic source at adjacent peripheral areas, affecting mercury bioavailability. We revisited the concept of environmental relaxation, i.e. the rate of return of a polluted environment to an acceptable state, showing that sedimentary transport processes may affect the associated ecological risks, mainly at shallow-water coastal sites.
Journal: Marine Pollution Bulletin - Volume 105, Issue 1, 15 April 2016, Pages 286–291