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BIBTEX RIS

Integrated sediment quality assessment in Paranaguá Estuarine System, Southern Brazil

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 72; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ecoenv.2008.12.005

1090-2414

Rodrigo Brasil Choueri, Augusto César, Ronaldo Torres, Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa, R.D. Morais, Camilo Dias Seabra Pereira, Marcos Roberto Lopes do Nascimento, A.A. Mozeto, Inmaculada Riba, T.Á. DelValls,

Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Sediment quality from Paranaguá Estuarine System (PES), a highly important port and ecological zone, was evaluated by assessing three lines of evidence: (1) sediment physical–chemical characteristics; (2) sediment toxicity (elutriates, sediment–water interface, and whole sediment); and (3) benthic community structure. Results revealed a gradient of increasing degradation of sediments (i.e. higher concentrations of trace metals, higher toxicity, and impoverishment of benthic community structure) towards inner PES. Data integration by principal component analysis (PCA) showed positive correlation between some contaminants (mainly As, Cr, Ni, and Pb) and toxicity in samples collected from stations located in upper estuary and one station placed away from contamination sources. Benthic community structure seems to be affected by both pollution and natural fine characteristics of the sediments, which reinforces the importance of a weight-of-evidence approach to evaluate sediments of PES.