The key role played by the Augusta basin (southern Italy) in the mercury contamination of the Mediterranean Sea

Journal of Environmental Monitoring : JEM
Mario SprovieriVincenzo Saggiomo

Abstract

The Augusta basin, located in SE Sicily (southern Italy), is a semi-enclosed marine area, labelled as a highly contaminated site. The release of mercury into the harbour seawater and its dispersion to the blue water, make the Augusta basin a potential source of anthropogenic pollution for the Mediterranean Sea. A mass balance was implemented to calculate the HgT budget in the Augusta basin. Results suggest that an average of ∼0.073 kmol of HgT is released, by diffusion, on a yearly basis, from sediments to the seawater, with a consequent output of 0.162 kmol y(-1) to coastal and offshore waters; this makes the Augusta area an important contributor of mercury to the Mediterranean Sea. Owing to the geographical location of the Augusta basin, its outflowing shelf-waters are immediately intercepted by the surface Atlantic Ionian Stream (AIS) and mixed with the main gyres of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, thus representing a risk for the large-scale marine system.

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Citations

Jan 26, 2016·Environmental Research·Maria BonsignoreMario Sprovieri
Mar 19, 2016·Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety·Erminia ContiConcetto Puglisi
Jun 16, 2015·Marine Pollution Bulletin·Giovanna ScopellitiSalvatrice Vizzini
Mar 15, 2013·Food and Chemical Toxicology : an International Journal Published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association·M BonsignoreS Mazzola
Jan 15, 2013·Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology : RTP·Gianfranco BrambillaGiannina Chessa
Jun 28, 2016·Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry·Rossella Di LeonardoSalvatrice Vizzini
Jul 2, 2020·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Chiara CopatMaria Teresa Spena
Aug 18, 2021·Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology·Francesca PellicanòSimona Panunzi
Aug 15, 2019··Valerio CusimanoSimona Panunzi

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