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Using Biogeochemical Markers to Assess the Environmental Effects of Shore-Parallel Breakwaters on a Coastal Area Affected by Mass Tourism (Rimini, Italy)

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Abstract

This paper discusses the effects of breakwaters on the Rimini coastal environment over the last half century. Sediment cores of 50 cm thick were collected in various seasons from 2002 to 2005 and were subsampled at surface and subsurface levels at 20 inshore and offshore stations in order to take account of various freshwater and wastewater inputs. A 240-cm sediment core was collected in the most impacted area in order to reconstruct the evolution of the marine ecosystem since the time of the breakwaters’ construction. Sediment grain size, physico-chemical parameters, nutrients and inorganic and organic contaminants were determined. The breakwaters have stopped coastal erosion but have given rise to a worsening of environmental quality. No impacts were detected outside the breakwaters. The integrated approach, using biogeochemical markers to reconstruct spatial and historical environmental trends within the sheltered area, proved to be very useful in highlighting its capacity for recovery and providing indications for coastal management.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this study was provided by the Environmental Sector of Rimini Municipality during the period 2002–2005 in order to find new tools for managing the coastal area and its significant implications for tourism. The authors thank Sandro Riccio and Roberto Buono for their support in sampling and Elena Pari and Roberto Cenciarini for the analytical work. We also thank Marco Benedettini and Chiara Stanley for their support. Special thanks to the memory of Riccardo Cola. George Metcalf revised the English text. This is contribution no. 136 by the ‘Istituto di Ricerca Gruppo CSA’.

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  1. Istituto di Ricerca Gruppo CSA S.p.A., Via al Torrente 22, 47923, Rimini, Italy

    Gabriele Matteucci, Federica Fiesoletti & Paolo Rossini

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  1. Gabriele Matteucci
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  2. Federica Fiesoletti
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  3. Paolo Rossini
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Correspondence to Gabriele Matteucci.

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Matteucci, G., Fiesoletti, F. & Rossini, P. Using Biogeochemical Markers to Assess the Environmental Effects of Shore-Parallel Breakwaters on a Coastal Area Affected by Mass Tourism (Rimini, Italy). Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1384 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1384-1

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