Historical trace element accumulation in marine sediments from the Tamaulipas shelf, Gulf of Mexico: An assessment of natural vs anthropogenic inputs.

Unlabelled: The Gulf of Mexico is considered one of the world's major marine ecosystems, supporting important fisheries and habitats such as barrier islands, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs etc. It also hosts a range of complex offshore petroleum exploration, extraction, and refining industries, which may have chronic or acute impacts on ecosystem functioning. Previous work on the marine effects of this activity is geographically incomplete, and has tended to focus on direct hydrocarbon impacts, while impacts from other related contaminants (e.

Sedimentary heavy metal(loid) contamination in the Veracruz shelf, Gulf of Mexico: A baseline survey from a rapidly developing tropical coast.

This study examines sediment texture, geochemistry and sediment accumulation in cores from four sites in the Veracruz shelf area of the Gulf of Mexico, to assess the inputs of heavy metal(loid)s (and their potential biological impacts) in this carbonate-dominated shelf system, and to examine the rate of sedimentation near to the mouths of the La Antigua and Jamapa Rivers. The use of different pollution indices showed enrichment with Pb in all cores studied, although based on sediment quality guidelines As was the only element that has potential to occasionally cause damage to the benthic organisms present in the area. Heavy metal(loid) and sediment input from terrestrial and coastal sources is limited compared to more proximal, near-shore areas.

Textural and geochemical characteristics of marine sediments in the SW Gulf of Mexico: implications for source and seasonal change.

Two oceanographic cruises were taken during the winter (SAV I, November and December 2007) and summer (SAV II, July and August 2008) across the mouth of the Papaloapan River in the Gulf of Mexico. Surficial sediment samples were collected from shallow (16-30 m), intermediate (30 to 80 m), and deeper areas (≥300 m). Shallow water sediments are coarser, better-sorted, and primarily composed of sands during the winter, while those found in the summer are finer.

Heavy metal enrichment in surface sediments from the SW Gulf of Mexico.

The south west coastal zone in the Gulf of Mexico is an area with great industrial and agricultural development, which experiences intensive prospecting and extraction of hydrocarbons. After running through industrial, agricultural, and urban areas, waters from both the Jamapa River and La Antigua River arrive here. The rivers' discharge areas of influence were estimated considering the textural and chemical composition of the supplied sediments.