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Heavy Metals Toxicity in Sediment and the Marine Environment

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The Montenegrin Adriatic Coast

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 110))

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Abstract

This study presents a review of available data on heavy metal contents in sediments collected along the Montenegrin coast, starting from 2005 to recent years. The aim was to evaluate the pollution level of Montenegrin coastal sediments by determining the concentrations of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg). The pollution status was evaluated using the contamination factor, pollution load index, and geo-accumulation index, as well as the statistical methods, such as cluster analysis (CA). This study showed that concentrations of individual metals at some locations were extremely high. Mean metal concentrations (mg/kg) in sediment samples during whole investigated period were in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > As > Hg > Cd. The calculated contamination factor and pollution load index values indicated enrichment by either natural processes or anthropogenic influences. According to contamination factor (CF), the contents of Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Hg are responsible for very high contamination. Extreme Igeo values were found for Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd (strongly or strongly to extremely polluted) for the sediment samples from the location Port of Bar in 2011. Also, the location Ada Bojana was characterized as strongly to extremely polluted with Ni in 2019, and Porto Montenegro was extremely polluted with Hg during 2016 and 2019 with the Igeo values of 6.18 and 6.28, respectively. Locations with the highest PLI values in surface sediments were Porto Montenegro (2018–2019) and Port of Bar (2011, 2014). Cluster analysis grouped the examined metals into two main clusters, indicating possible similar origins of the elements within the same cluster.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro as well as Project BIO-ICT, ShellMED, and PROMIS funded by the Ministry of Science of Montenegro. Also, we would like to thank all of the co-authors who provided support in the preparation of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

    Danijela Joksimović, Ana Perošević-Bajčeta, Branka Pestorić, Rajko Martinović & Neda Bošković

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  1. Danijela Joksimović
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  2. Ana Perošević-Bajčeta
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  3. Branka Pestorić
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  4. Rajko Martinović
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  5. Neda Bošković
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Correspondence to Danijela Joksimović .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

    Danijela Joksimović

  2. Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

    Mirko Đurović

  3. Land Reclamation and Ecology “Soyuzvodproject”, Engineering Research Production Center For Water Management, Moscow, Russia

    Igor S. Zonn

  4. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, S.Yu. Witte Moscow University, Moscow, Russia

    Andrey G. Kostianoy

  5. S. Yu. Witte Moscow University, Moscow, Russia

    Aleksander V. Semenov

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Joksimović, D., Perošević-Bajčeta, A., Pestorić, B., Martinović, R., Bošković, N. (2021). Heavy Metals Toxicity in Sediment and the Marine Environment. In: Joksimović, D., Đurović, M., Zonn, I.S., Kostianoy, A.G., Semenov, A.V. (eds) The Montenegrin Adriatic Coast. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 110. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_690

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