Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) both represent significant concerns in environmental sciences. This paper aims to develop a convenient and efficient methodology for the detection and measurement of MPs and nanoparticles from surface seawater and to apply it to the water samples collected from the UNESCO site of Venice and its lagoon, more precisely in the Venice-Lido Port Inlet, Grand Canal under Rialto Bridge, and Saint Marc basin. In this study, MPs were analyzed through optical microscopy for their relative abundance and characterized based on their color, shape, and size classes, while the concentration and the mean of nanoparticles were estimated via the Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrban lakes represent the most extensive water bodies in cities and provide blue ecosystem services, by retaining pollutants, offering cultural services, and mitigating climate change. Human activities threaten to decrease the supply of ecosystem services associated with urban lakes. Exorheic lakes play an essential role in reducing and changing the characteristics of pollutants and organic matter along the environmental continuum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
March 2020
Numerous studies have shown the impact of inner filter effect (IFE) on the fluorescence signal. IFE reduces the fluorescence intensity and distorts the fluorescence peak shape and position, through the absorption of the emitted radiation by the sample components. In this study, we aimed to understand the role of a non-fluorescing chromophore in IFE correction and PARAFAC decomposition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClosed lakes located in urban parks act as sinks of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), which have been used, for decades, as insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. The closed lakes from Bucharest, Romania, are periodically managed to prevent eutrophication and accumulation of pollutants. However, it is not known if these practices reduce or enhance the legacy pollution with OCPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
January 2020
There is a need for an inexpensive, reliable and fast monitoring tool to detect contaminants in a short time, for quick mitigation of pollution sources and site remediation, and for characterization of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM). Fluorescence spectroscopy has proven to be an excellent technique in quantifying aquatic DOM, from autochthonous, allochthonous or anthropogenic sources. This paper reviews the advances in in situ fluorescence measurements of DOM and pollutants in various water environments.
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