Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Historical analysis of heavy metal pollution in three estuaries on the north coast of Galicia (NW Spain)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

This research focuses on the development of metal pollution in sediment cores from three estuaries in Northwest Spain: Viveiro, Ortigueira and Barqueiro. Pb, Cu, Co, Cr, Cd and Zn and total organic carbon were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA) in order to obtain background values, measure pollution levels and identify pollution sources. Results were interpreted by considering the local industrial history, grain size and C/N relationship. The pollution levels obtained bear a strong resemblance to those documented for of a moderately industrialised area. PCA identifies factors that reflect mainly temporal associations with metals. Sedimentation rates between 0.9 and 1.1 cm/year were determined. In Viveiro core levels of Cr pollution are associated with tanneries. In Ortigueira, high core levels of Cu and Co are linked to mining, and Cr levels to adjacent ultramafic rocks. Erosion of Holocene sediment causes high values of Co and Cr in the Barqueiro core. Cu increase in the three estuaries is related to fungicide use since 1910. Sea level rise appears to be affecting the marine characteristics of the sediments in Barqueiro. In Viveiro, the nature of the sediment reflects engineering work and land reclamation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abrahim G, Parker R (2002) Heavy-metal contaminants in Tamaki Estuary: impact of city development and growth, Auckland, New Zealand. Environ Geol 42:883–890

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Álvarez-Iglesias P, Rubio B, Vilas F (2003) Pollution in intertidal sediments of San Simón Bay (Inner Ría de Vigo, NW of Spain): total heavy metal concentrations and speciation. Mar Pollut Bull 46:491–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ausili A, Mecozzi M, Gabellini M, Ciuffa G, Mellara F (1998) Physico-chemical characteristics and multivariate analysis of contaminated harbour sediments. Water Sci Technol 37:131–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee ADK (2003) Heavy metal levels and solid phase speciation in street dusts of Delhi, India. Environ Pollut 123:95–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bermejo-Barrera P, Barciela-Alonso C, Aboal-Somoza M, Bermejo-Barrera A (1994) Slurry sampling for the determination of lead in marine sediments by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using palladium-magnesium nitrate as chemical modifier. J Anal Atom Spectromet 9:469–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bird E (2000) Coastal geomorphology, an introduction. John Wiley, West Sussex, pp 322

    Google Scholar 

  • Carballeira A, Carral E, Puente X, Villares R (1997) Estado de Conservación de la Costa de Galicia. “Contamination of Galician Coast (northwest Spain)”. Servicio de Publicacións e Intercambio Científico da Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, pp 107

    Google Scholar 

  • Carballeira A, Carral E, Puente X, Villares R (2000) Regional scale monitoring of coastal contamination. Nutrients and heavy metals in estuarine sediments and organisms on the coast of Galicia (Northwest Spain). Int J Environ Pollut 13:534–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carral E, Puente X, Villares R, Carballeira A (1995) Background heavy metal levels in estuarine sediments and organisms in Galicia (northwest Spain) as determined by modal analysis. Sci Total Environ 172:175–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cearreta A, Irabien MJ, Leorri E, Yusta I, Croudace IW, Cundy AB (2000) Recent anthropogenic impacts on the Bilbao Estuary, Northern Sapin: geochemical and microfaunal evidence. Estuarine Coast Shelf Sci 50:571–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang JS, Yu KC, Tsai LJ, Ho ST (1998) Spatial distribution of heavy metals in bottom sediment of Yenshui River, Taiwan. Water Technol 38:159–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao E (1988) Historia de Vivero. “History of Vivero” Ediciós do Castro, Sada. A Coruña, Spain, pp 318

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobelo A, Prego P (2003) Heavy metal sedimentary record in a Galician Ría (NW Spain): background values and recent contamination. Mar Pollut Bull 46:1253–1262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox R, Wadsworth RA, Thomson AG (2003) Long-term changes in salt marsh extent effected by channel deepening in a modified estuary. Cont Shelf Res 23:1833–1846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cundy AB, Croudace IW, Thomson J, Lewis JT (1997) Reliability of salt marshes as “geochemical recorders” of pollution input: a case study from contrasting estuaries in southern England. Environ Sci Technol 31:1093–1101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cundy AB, Croudace IW, Cearreta A, Irabien MJ (2003) Reconstructing historical trends in metal input in heavily-disturbed, contaminated estuaries: studies from Bilbao, Southampton Water and Sicily. Appl Geochem 18:311–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis RA, Welty AT, Borrego J, Morales JA, Pendon JG, Ryan JG (2000) Rio Tinto estuary (Spain): 5000 years of pollution. Environ Geol 39:1107–1116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daesslé LW, Camacho-Ibar VF, Carriquiry JD, Ortiz-Hernández MC (2004) The geochemistry and sources of metals in the recent sediments from the Northern Gulf of California. Cont Shelf Res 24:2093–2106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EPA (1996) Method 3052. Microwave assisted acid digestion of siliceous and organically based matrices. http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/test/3052.pdf., Cited 4 Feb 2003

  • Fernández JA (2002) Las fábricas de curtidos en la ría de Ferrol. “Tanneries in the Ferrol Estuary”. Ediciós do Castro, Sada. A Coruña, Spain, pp 161

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández JA (2000) An extended study of heavy metal deposition in Galicia (NW Spain) based on moss analysis. Sci Total Environ 254:31–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández Prieto L (1988) A granxa agrícola experimental da Coruña 1888–1928. “Experimental agricultural center of Coruña”. Consellería da Presidencia e Administración Pública, Xunta de Galicia. Servicio Central de Publicaciones, Santiago de Compostela, pp 200

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández Prieto L (1992) Labregos con Ciencia. History of the use of chemical products in agriculture. Edicións Xerais de Galicia, Vigo, pp 514

    Google Scholar 

  • Filgueiras AV, Lavilla I., Bendicho C (2004) Evaluation of distribution, mobility and binding behaviour of heavy metals in surficial sediments of Louro River (Galicia, Spain) using chemometric analysis: a case study. Sci Total Environ 330:115–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez JA (1991) El Ferrocarril Ferrol-Gijón. History of the Ferrol-Gijón Train. Gijón Trea, Gijón, pp 186

    Google Scholar 

  • Helland A (2001) The importance of selective transport and sedimentation in trend monitoring of metals in sediments. An example form the Glomma estuary, East Norway. Water Air Soil Pollut 126:339–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hornberger MI, Luoma SN, Van Geen A, Fuller C, Anima R (1999) Historical trends of metals in the sediments of San Francisco Bay, California. Mar Chem 64:39–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IEO (1993) Informes Técnicos del Instituto Español de Oceanografía, no 143, Resultados de la Campaña PROSARP-392: Datos Básicos de Hidrografía, Nutrientes Disueltos y Material Particulado en Aguas Superficiales de la Costa de Galiciay Mar Cantábrico (N-NO de España). Hydrography, Nutrients and Suspension Solids in Galician and Cantabric Sea (N-NW Spain). Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación, Madrid

  • Kirchner G, Ehlers H (1998) Sediment geochronology in changing coastal environments: potentials and limitations of the Cs137 and 210Pb methods. J Coast Res 14:483–492

    Google Scholar 

  • Komar PD (1998) Beach processes and sedimentation. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, pp 544

    Google Scholar 

  • Landajo A, Arana G, de Diego A, Etxebarria N, Zuloaga O, Amouroux D (2004) Analysis of heavy metal distribution in superficial estuarine sediments (estuary of Bilbao, Basque Country) by open-focused microwave-assisted extraction and ICP-OES. Chemosphere 56:1033–1041

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesueur P, Lesourd D, Lefebvre D, Garnaud S, Brun-Cottan JC (2003) Holocene and modern sediments in the Seine Estuary (France): a synthesis, J Quatern Sci 18:339–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López Alonso M (2002) Cattle as biomonitors of soil arsenic, copper, and zinc concentrations in Galicia (NW Spain). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 43:103–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzo F, Alonso A, Pagés JL (2003) Evolución y erosión comparada de tres sistemas playa flecha en las rías de Ortigueira, O Barqueiro y Viveiro (Galicia, España). Cuaternario y Geomorfología 17:75–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzo F, Alonso A, Pagés JL (2006) Erosion and accretion of beach/spit systems in northwest spain: a response to human activity. J Coast Res (in press)

  • Loska K, Wiechula D (2003) Application of principal component analysis for the estimation of source of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from the Rybnik Reservoir. Chemosphere 51:723–733

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luoma SN, Dagovitz R, Axtaman E (1990) Temporally intensive study of trace metals in sediments and bivalves from a large river-estuarine system: Suisun Bay/Delta in San Francisco Bay. Sci Total Environ 97–98:685–712

    Google Scholar 

  • Méndez G, Pérez-Arlucea M, Stouthammer E, Berendsen H (2003) The TESS-1 suction corer: a new device to extract wet, uncompacted sediments. J Sediment Res 73:1078–1081

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers PA, Teranes JL (2001) Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. In: Last WM, Smol JP (eds) Physical and geochemical methods, vol 2. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 243

  • Monterrubio S (1992) Mineralizaciones de cromo, platinoides, y oro en los complejos polimetamorficos de Galicia. “Mineralizatins of Cr, Pt and Au in Galician polimetamorphic complex”. Ed. O Castro. pp 114

  • Muller PJ (1997) C/N ratios in Pacific deep-sea sediments effect of inorganic ammonium and organic nitrogen componunds sorbed in clays. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 41:765–776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otero XL, Huerta-Diaz MA, Macías F (2000) Heavy metal geochemistry of saltmarsh soils from the Ría of Ortigueira (mafic and ultramafic areas, NW Iberian Peninsula). Environ Pollut 110:285–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira WE, Hostettler FD, Luoma SN, Van Geen A, Fuller CC, Anima RJ (1999) Sedimentary record of anthropogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in San Francisco Bay, California. Mar Chem 64:99–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plater AJ, Appleby PG (2004) Tidal sedimentation in the Tees estuary during the 20th century: radionuclide and magnetic evidence of pollution and sedimentary response. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 60:179–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prego R, Cobelo-García A (2003) Twentieth century overview of heavy metals in the Galician Rias (NW Iberian Peninsula). Environ Pollut 121(3):425–452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Río FJ, Rodríguez F (1992) Os ríos Galegos; Morfoloxía e réxime. “Morphology of Galician rivers” Ed. Consello da Cultura Galega. Santiago de Compostela, Spain, pp 333

  • Rosende A (1988) O agrarismo na comarca do Ortegal. “History of farmer asociations in Ortigueira County” Ediciós do Castro, Sada. A Coruña, Spain, pp 317

    Google Scholar 

  • Slavkovic L, Skrbic B, Miljevic AO (2004) Principal component analysis of trace elements in industrial soils. Environ Chem Lett 2:105–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva N, Prego R (2002) Carbon and nitrogen spatial segregation and stoichiometry in the surface sediments of Southern Chilena Inlets (41°–56°S), Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 55:763–775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer KL (2002) Spatial variability of metals in the inter-tidal sediments of the Medway Estuary, Kent, UK. Mar Pollut Bull 44:933–944

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton SF, McManus J (1994) Application of organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotope an C/N ratios as source indicators of organic matter provenance in estuarine systems: evidence from the Tay Estuary, Scotland. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 38:219–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuncer G, Tuncel G, Balkas TI (2001) Evolution of metal pollution in the Golden Horn (Turkey) sediments between 1912 and 1987. Mar Pollut Bull 42:350–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu KC, Chang CY, Tsai LJ, Ho ST (2000) Multivariate analyses on heavy metal binding fractions of river sediments in Southern Taiwan. Water Sci Technol 42:193–199

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science project CGL2004–00048/BTE, and is a contribution to the IGCP Project Nr 495, Quaternary Land–Ocean Interactions: Driving Mechanisms and Coastal Responses. We are very grateful to Dr. J. Alonso Azcárate who improved the document with his comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sección Ciencias de la Tierra. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidade de A Coruña, Coruña, Spain

    F. Lorenzo, A. Alonso & J. L. Pagés

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    M. J. Pellicer

  3. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar., Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain

    M. Pérez-Arlucea

Authors
  1. F. Lorenzo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Alonso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. Pellicer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. L. Pagés
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Pérez-Arlucea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Lorenzo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lorenzo, F., Alonso, A., Pellicer, M.J. et al. Historical analysis of heavy metal pollution in three estuaries on the north coast of Galicia (NW Spain). Environ Geol 52, 789–802 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0516-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0516-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation