Abstract
The aim if this study was to assess the distribution of mercury in water, suspended particulate matter, surface sediments and biota from the Sado estuary, which, for the most part, is classified as a natural reserve, so as to evaluate its environmental quality status in terms of mercury contamination. Besides the diffuse sources of mercury coming into the Sado estuary, there are also additional contributions from the northern industrial zone and from the urban areas within the system. Applying national and international guidelines to different environmental matrices, the results obtained show that the system does not seem to be under environmental risk as far as mercury contamination is concerned. These quality guidelines can be used to rank and prioritise sites of concern. Hence, the area at the northern industrialised area deserves particular attention. The concentration of mercury in sediments of this area (0.54 mg kg−1) simultaneously succeeded the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD) reference value, the OSPAR Convention Ecotoxicological Assessment Criteria (EACs) and is classified as class 2 in degree of contamination by the National legislation, which implies some legal restrictive rules. Considering the stations close to urbanised areas, one exceeded the OSPAR EACs for dissolved mercury, whilst the other exceeded the EU-WFD reference value for mercury concentrations in sediments. No statistical significant relations were found between mercury concentrations in biota (Ulva sp, Hediste diversicolor, Scrobicularia plana, Cerstoderma edule and Carcinus maenas) and in the abiotic matrices (sediment and water column, including mercury in its dissolved form and associated to suspended particulate matter). This paper provides an overview of the guidelines for Hg proposed for a considerable number of coastal systems of the northern hemisphere and highlights the complex interactions of Hg in the different environmental compartments in low contaminated systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alonso, D., Pineda, P., Olivero, J., Gonzaález, H., & Campos, N. (2000). Mercury levels in muscle of two fish species and sediments from the Cartagena Bay and the Cie naga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia. Environmental Pollution, 109, 157–163.
Amaral, M. J., & Costa, M. H. (1999). Macrobenthic communities of saltpans from the Sado estuary (Portugal). Acta Oecologica, 20, 327–332.
Baeyers, W., Leermakers, M., Papina, T., Saprykin, A., Brion, N., Noyen, J., et al. (2003). Bioconcentration and biomagnification of mercury and methylmercury in North Sea and Scheldt Estuary Fish. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 45, 498–508.
Beckvar, N., Field, J., Salazar, S., & Hoff, R. (1996). Contaminants in aquatic habitats at hazardous waste sites: Mercury. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 100. Seattle: Hazardous Materials Response and Assessment Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 74 pp. Retrieved 20 October 2009 from http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/89_rpt_mercury_aquatic_habitats.pdf.
Bignert, A., Cossa, D., Emmerson, R., Fryer, R., Füll, C., Fumega, J., et al. (2004). OSPAR/ICES Workshop on the evaluation and update of background reference concentrations (B/RCs) and ecotoxicological assessment criteria (EACs) and how these assessment tools should be used in assessing contaminants in water, sediments and biota. Final report to OSPAR Commission, The Hague, pp. 92–96. Retrieved 20 October 2009 from http://www.ospar.org/documents/dbase/publications/p00214_BRC%20EAC%20Workshop.pdf.
Bloom, N. S., Moretto, L. M., Scopece, P., & Ugo, P. (2004). Seasonal cycling of mercury and monomethyl mercury in the Venice Lagoon (Italy). Marine Chemistry, 91, 85–99.
Cabeçadas, G., Nogueira, M., & Brogueira, M. J. (1999). Nutrient dynamics and productivity in three European estuaries. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 12, 1092–1096.
Caeiro, S., Goovaerts, P., Painho, M., & Costa, M. H. (2003). Delineation of estuarine management areas using multivariate geostatistics: The case of Sado estuary. Environmental Science & Technology, 37, 4052–4059.
Caeiro, S., Costa, M. H., Ramos, T. B., Fernandes, F., Silveira, N., Coimbra, A., et al. (2005). Assessing heavy metal contamination in Sado estuary sediment: An index analysis approach. Ecological Indicators, 5, 151–169.
Cairrão, E., Pereira, M. J., Pastorinho, M. R., Morgado, F., Soares, A. M. V. M., & Guilhermino, L. (2007). Fucus spp. as a mercury contamination bioindicator in costal areas (Northwestern Portugal). Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 79, 388–395.
Coelho, J. P., Pereira, M. E., Duarte, A., & Pardal, M. A. (2005). Macroalgae response to a mercury contamination gradient in a temperate coastal lagoon (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 65, 492–500.
Coelho, J. P., Rosa, M., Pereira, M. E., Duarte, A., & Pardal, M. A. (2006). Pattern and annual rates of Scrobicularia plana mercury bioaccumulation in a human induced mercury gradient (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 69, 629–635.
Coelho, J. P., Nunes, M., Dolbeth, M., Pereira, M. E., Duarte, A., & Pardal, M. A. (2008a). The role of two sediment-dwelling invertebrates on the mercury transfer from sediments to the estuarine trophic web. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 78, 505–512.
Coelho, J. P., Reis, A. T., Ventura, S., Pereira, M. E., Duarte, A., & Pardal, M. A. (2008b). Pattern and pathways for mercury lifespan bioaccumulation in Carcinus maenas. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56, 1104–1110.
Commission Regulation (EC). (2006). No 1881/2006 of 19 December (2006). Setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union. L364/20.
Costa, C. J., Marques, A. P., Freitas, M. C., Reis, M. A., & Oliveira, O. R. (2002). A comparative study for results obtained using biomonitors and PM10 collectors in Sado estuary. Environmental Pollution, 120, 97–106.
Costa, P. M., Diniz, M. S., Caeiro, S., Lobo, J., Martins, M., Ferreira, A. M., et al. (2009). Histological biomarkers in liver and gills of juvenile Solea senegalensis exposed to contaminated estuarine sediments: A weighted indices approach. Aquatic Toxicology, 92, 202–212.
Costley, C., Mossop, K., Dean, J., Garden, L., Marshall, J., & Carroll, J. (2000). Determination of mercury in environmental and biological samples using pyrolysis atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation. Chimica Acta, 405, 179–183.
De Marco, S. G., Botté, S. E., & Marcovecchio, J. E. (2006). Mercury distribution in abiotic and biological compartments within several estuarine systems from Argentina: 1980–2005 period. Chemosphere, 65, 213–223.
Diário da República, II Série, Decreto-Lei 141/95 de 21 de Junho de (1995). Classificação de materiais dragados. Despacho Conjunto dos Ministérios do Ambiente e Recursos Naturais e do Mar. Portugal.
Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 16 December (2008). Official Journal of the European Union. L 348/93.
Donkor, A. K., Bonzongo, J. C., Nartey, V. K., & Adotey, D. K. (2006). Mercury in different environmental compartments of the Pra River Bay, Ghana. Science of Total Environment, 368, 164–176.
Lewis, M., & Chancy, C. (2008). A summary of total mercury concentrations in flora and fauna near common contaminant sources in the Gulf of Mexico. Chemosphere, 70, 2016–2024.
Long, E. R. (1992). Ranges in chemical concentrations in sediments associated with adverse biological effects. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 24, 38–45.
Long, E. R., Macdonald, D. D., Smith, S. L., & Calder, F. D. (1995). Incidence of adverse biological effect within ranges of chemical concentrations in marine and estuarine sediments. Environmental Management, 19, 81–97.
Martins, F., Leitão, P., Silva, A., & Neves, R. (2000). 3D modelling in the Sado estuary using a new generic vertical discretization approach. Oceanologica Acta, 24, S51–S62.
Martins, M., Ferreira, A. M., & Vale, C. (2008). The influence of Sarcocornia fruticosa on retention of PAHs in salt marsh sediments (Sado estuary, Portugal). Chemosphere, 71, 1599–1606.
Mucci, A., Lucotte, M., Montgomery, S., Plourde, Y., Pichet, P., & Van Tra, H. (1995). Mercury remobilization from flooded soils in a hydroelectric reservoir of Northern Quebec, La Grande-2: Results of a soil resuspension experiment. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 52, 2507–2517.
Pereira, M. E., Lillebø, A. I., Pato, P., Válega, M., Coelho, J. P., Lopes, C., et al. (2009). Mercury pollution in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal): A review of the system assessment. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 155, 39–49.
Quevauviller, F., Lavigne, R., & Cortez, L. (1989). Impact of industrial and mine drainage wastes on the heavy metal distribution in the drainage basin and estuary of the Sado River (Portugal). Environmental Pollution, 59, 267–286.
Ram, A., Rokade, M. A., Borole, D. V., & Zingde, M. D. (2003). Mercury in sediments of Ulhas estuary. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 46, 846–857.
Rocha, C. (2000). Density-driven convection during flooding of warm, permeable intertidal sediments: The ecological importance of the convective turnover pump. Journal of Sea Research, 43, 1–14.
Rothenberg, S. E., Ambrose, R. F., & Jay, J. A. (2008). Mercury cycling in surface water, pore water and sediments of Mugu Lagoon, CA, USA. Environmental Pollution, 154, 32–45.
Shepard, F. P. (1954). Nomenclature based on sand–silt–clay ratios. Journal of Sediment Petrology, 24, 151–158.
Turner, A., Millward, G. E., & Le Roux, S. M. (2004). Significance of oxides and particulate organic matter in controlling trace metal partitioning in a contaminated estuary. Marine Chemistry, 88(3–4), 179–192.
U.S. EPA (2006a). National Recommended Water Quality Criteria. (nrwqc-2006.pdf). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. Retrieved 17 February 2009 from http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/wqctable/.
U.S. EPA (2006b). Draft Guidance for Implementing the January 2001 Methylmercury Water Quality Criterion. EPA 823-B-04-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. Retrieved 17 February 2009 from http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/methylmercury.
Vasconcelos, R. P., Reis-Santos, P., Fonseca, V., Maia, A., Ruano, M., França, S., et al. (2007). Assessing anthropogenic pressures on estuarine fish nurseries along the Portuguese coast: A multi-metric index and conceptual approach. Science of Total Environment, 374, 199–215.
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) for funding given to the Associated Laboratory CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar). The Post-doc grants SFRH/BPD/48449/2008 (P. Coelho), SFRH/BPD/35068/2007 (P. Pato) and SFRH/BPD/48134/2008 (M. Válega) funded by FCT are acknowledged. Authors also acknowledge the anonymous referees for the careful revision and suggestions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lillebø, A.I., Coelho, P.J., Pato, P. et al. Assessment of Mercury in Water, Sediments and Biota of a Southern European Estuary (Sado Estuary, Portugal). Water Air Soil Pollut 214, 667–680 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0457-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0457-2