title: Bioindicators as metrics for environmental monitoring of desalination plant discharges.
abstract: Development of desalination projects requires simple methodologies and tools for cost-effective and environmentally-sensitive management. Sentinel taxa and biotic indices are easily interpreted in the perspective of environment management. Echinoderms are potential sentinel taxon to gauge the impact produced by brine discharge and the BOPA index is considered an effective tool for monitoring different types of impact. Salinity increase due to desalination brine discharge was evaluated in terms of these two indicators. They reflected the environmental impact and recovery after implementation of a mitigation measure. Echinoderms disappeared at the station closest to the discharge during the years with highest salinity and then recovered their abundance after installation of a diffuser reduced the salinity increase. In the same period, BOPA responded due to the decrease in sensitive amphipods and the increase in tolerant polychaete families when salinities rose. Although salinity changes explained most of the observed variability in both indicators, other abiotic parameters were also significant in explaining this variability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain. Electronic address: ja.ossa@ua.es.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de-la-Ossa-Carretero
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Del-Pilar-Ruso
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loya-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ferrero-Vicente
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marco-Méndez
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martinez-Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giménez-Casalduero
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Ap 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Lizaso
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D004447:Echinodermata / Q000187:drug effects; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000187:drug effects; D054712:Salinity; D012492:Salts / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012492:Salts; D014873:Water Pollutants; C017082:brine
keywords: BOPA index; Benthos; Brine; Desalination; Echinoderm; Mediterranean; Salinity