title: Mercury levels in sediments of central Mediterranean Sea: a 150+ year record from box-cores recovered in the Strait of Sicily.
abstract: To evaluate the degree of anthropogenic mercury pollution, Hg contents have been measured for box-core sediments sampled along three nearshore-offshore transects in the Strait of Sicily and well constrained for their mineralogy, bulk geochemistry and TOC%. Hg values are generally low (from 15 to 70 microg kg(-1)); however, depth profiles clearly display upcore rising concentrations (up to 202 microg kg(-1) near the SE Sicily coast) that are attributed to anthropogenic load. Based on (210)Pb chronology, these trends are more dramatic across the last 20-30 years. Geogenic influence is thought to explain some anomalies related to volcanic emission and geothermal activity. Combined effects due to eastward flowing of the Modified Atlantic Water (MAW) and sea bottom morphology drove major anthropogenic accumulation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Fisica della Terra ed Applicazioni alle Georisorse e ai Rischi Naturali (CFTA), Università di Palermo, Via Archirafi 36, 90123 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Leonardo
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tranchida
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellanca
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angelone
authors.forename: Salvo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazzola
mesh_terms: D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008628:Mercury