title: Environmental complexity of a port: Evidence from circulation of the water masses, and composition and contamination of bottom sediments.
abstract: Ports are complex environments due to their complicated geometry (quays, channels, and piers), the presence of human activities (vessel traffic, shipyards, industries, and discharges), and natural factors (stream and torrent inputs, sea action, and currents). Taking these factors into consideration, we have examined the marine environment of a port from the point of view of the circulation of the water masses, hydrological characteristics, distribution of the sediment grain-size, mineralogical characteristics, and metal concentrations of the bottom sediments. Our results show that, in the case of the Port of Genoa (north-western Italy), the impact of human activities (such as a coal power-plant, oil depots, shipyards, dredging of the bottom sediments, etc.), natural processes (such as currents, fresh water and sediment inputs from the torrents), and the morphology of the basin, are important factors in the sediment, water, and metal distributions that have given rise to a complex environment.
authors.affiliation: DISTAV - University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, I-16132, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cutroneo
authors.affiliation: DISTAV - University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, I-16132, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.affiliation: DISTAV - University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, I-16132, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Consani
authors.affiliation: DISTAV - University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, I-16132, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vagge
authors.affiliation: Port Authority of Genoa, Palazzo San Giorgio, 2 Via della Mercanzia, Genoa I-16123, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Canepa
authors.affiliation: DISTAV - University of Genoa, 26 Corso Europa, I-16132, Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: capello@dipteris.unige.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capello
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D014867:Water; D014872:Water Movements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water
keywords: Bottom sediments; Currents; Dimensional analysis; Metal contamination; Mineralogy; Port of Genoa (Italy)