Abstract
This study investigated the occurrence of selected metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) in radio-dated sediment cores from a coastal lagoon (Lagoon of Venice, Italy) by critically reviewing and grouping available data. Pre-industrial concentrations (pICs, estimated for the period before the early 1900s) for the Venice lagoon are identified according to the 2σ statistical procedure (2σ-pICs), i.e., the upper bound values of the dataset distribution. Results show the following 2σ-pICs (µg/g, d.w.): As 15,9; Cd 0,6; Cr 38,0; Cu 18,1; Hg 1,1; Ni 32,9; Pb 29,4; Zn 94,5. Most of the estimated 2σ-pICs are comparable to previously assessed background values. In the case of Hg, on the contrary, 2σ-pIC is remarkably higher than background values, reflecting a significant anthropogenic contribution also in the pre-industrial period. The results of this work may support the evaluation of the temporal evolution of metal concentrations in sediments of the Venice lagoon. Results are compared with background concentrations (BC) observed in previous studies conducted in the lagoon and in other areas of the Adriatic Sea, as well as with benchmarks set in Italy for sediment assessment.
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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included and/or referenced in this published article (and its Supplementary information files).
Notes
The EQS defined in the Legislative Decree 172/2015 (used to assess the ecological status of marine coastal areas and transitional water bodies) and sediment quality guidelines set in the Decree 173/2016 (defined for sediment management purpose), cited in this study, are considered to represent the sediment concentration at which toxicity and bioaccumulation effects may occur with a low probability (Surricchio et al. 2019, Tornero et al. 2019).
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The scientific activity was performed in the Research Programme Venezia2021, coordinated by CORILA, with the contribution of the Provveditorato for the Public Works of Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Enrico Marchese and Elisa Chiara Bizzotto. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Enrico Marchese and Elisa Chiara Bizzotto. Elisa Giubilato, Elena Semenzin, and Antonio Marcomini revised and edited the manuscript. Antonio Marcomini supervised and coordinated the research work. Enrico Marchese, Elisa Chiara Bizzotto, Elisa Giubilato, Elena Semenzin, and Antonio Marcomini read and approved the final manuscript.
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Marchese, E., Bizzotto, E.C., Giubilato, E. et al. Pre-industrial sediment concentrations of metals: insights from the Venice lagoon (Italy). Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 85829–85838 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23378-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23378-x