|
Título:
|
Dynamics of suspended sediment borne persistent organic pollutants in a large regulated Mediterranean river (Ebro, NE Spain)
|
|
Autor/a:
|
Quesada, S.; Tena Tarruella, Anna; Guillén, D.; Ginebreda, A.; Vericat Querol, Damià; Martínez, E.; Navarro Ortega, A.; Batalla, Ramon J.; Barceló, Damià
|
|
Notas:
|
Mediterranean rivers are characterized by highly variable hydrological regimes that are strongly dependent on the seasonal rainfall. Sediment transport is closely related to the occurrence of flash-floods capable to deliver enough kinetic energy to mobilize the bed and channel sediments. Contaminants accumulated in the sediments are likely to be mobilized as well during such events. However, whereas there are many studies characterizing contaminants in steady sediments, those devoted to the transport dynamics of suspended-sediment borne pollution are lacking. Here we examined the occurrence and transport of persistent organic microcontaminants present in the circulating suspended sediments during a controlled flushing flow in the low part of the River Ebro (NE Spain) 12 km downstream of a well-known contaminated hot-spot associated to a nearby chloro-alkali industry. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and semi-volatile organochlorine pollutants (DDT and related compounds, DDX; polychlorinated byphenils, PCBs; and other organochlorine compound, OCs) were measured in the particulate material by GC–MS and GC–MS/MS, using previously developed analytical methods. The concentration levels observed were compared to previously reported values in steady sediments in the same river and discussed on a regulatory perspective. Hydrographs and sedigraphs recorded showed a peak-flow of 1300 m3 s− 1 and a corresponding peak of suspended sediments of 315 mg L− 1. Combination of flow discharge, suspended sediments and pollutants' concentrations data allowed for quantifying the mass flows (mass per unit of time) and setting the load budgets (weight amount) of the different pollutants transported by the river during the monitored event. Mean mass-flows and total load values found were 20.2 mg s− 1 (400 g) for PAHs, 38 mg s− 1 (940 g) for DDX, 44 mg s− 1 (1038 g) for PCBs and 8 mg s− 1 (200 g) for OCs. The dynamic pattern behavior of PAHs differs substantially to that of organochlorine pollutants, thus reflecting different pollution origins.
This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project SCARCE (CSD2009-00065) and by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Group: Water and Soil Quality Unit2009-SGR-965). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Comunities 7th Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. 603629-ENV-2013-6.2.1-Globaqua. |
|
Materia(s):
|
-Suspended sediments
-Persistent organic pollutants
-Flushing flows
-Pollutants' transport |
|
Derechos:
|
cc-by-nc-nd (c) S. Quesada et al., 2013
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/
|
|
Tipo de documento:
|
article
publishedVersion |
|
Editor:
|
Elsevier
|
|
Compartir:
|
|
