Zooplankton as an indicator of the status of contamination of the Mediterranean Sea and temporal trends

G Boldrocchi; B Villa; D Monticelli; D Spanu; G Magni; J Pachner; M Mastore; R Bettinetti

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115732

Zooplankton as an indicator of the status of contamination of the Mediterranean Sea and temporal trends

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Dec:197:115732. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115732. Epub 2023 Oct 30.

Authors

G Boldrocchi¹, B Villa², D Monticelli³, D Spanu³, G Magni⁴, J Pachner⁴, M Mastore⁵, R Bettinetti⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy; One Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: ginevra.boldrocchi@uninsubria.it.
² Department of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy; One Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121 Milan, Italy.
³ Department of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.
⁴ One Ocean Foundation, Via Gesù 10, 20121 Milan, Italy.
⁵ Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy.
⁶ Department of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, Como, Italy.

PMID: 37913563
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115732

Abstract

Zooplankton has been intensively used as bioindicators of water pollution at global level, however, only few comprehensive studies have been conducted from the Mediterranean Sea and manly dated back to the 1970s. To redress the urgent need for updated data, this study provides information on the presence and levels of contaminants in zooplankton from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Although banned, both PCBs (46.9 ± 37.2 ng g^-1) and DDT (8.9 ± 10.7 ng g^-1) are still present and widespread, but their contamination appears to be a local problem and to be declining over the past 50 years. Zooplankton accumulates high levels of certain TEs, including Zn (400 ± 388 ppm) and Pb (35.3 ± 45.5 ppm), but shows intermediate concentrations of other TEs, including Cd (1.6 ± 0.9 ppm) and Hg (0.1 ± 0.1 ppm), comparing with both strongly polluted and more pristine marine habitats, which may reflect a general improvement.

Keywords: Persistent organic pollutants; Plankton; Pollution; Trace elements; Tyrrhenian Sea.

MeSH terms

Animals
Environmental Monitoring
Mediterranean Sea
Mercury*
Polychlorinated Biphenyls* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Zooplankton

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Mercury