High resolution seismic data coupled to Multibeam bathymetry of Stromboli island collected in the frame of the Stromboli geophysical experiment: implications with the marine geophysics and volcanology of the Aeolian Arc volcanic complex (Sicily, Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy).

New high resolution seismic data (Subbottom Chirp) coupled to high resolution Multibeam bathymetry collected in the frame of the Stromboli geophysical experiment aimed at recording active seismic data and tomography of the Stromboli Island are here presented. The Stromboli geophysical experiment has been already carried out based on onshore and offshore data acquisition in order to investigate the deep structure and the location of the magma chambers of the Stromboli volcano. A new detailed swath bathymetry of Stromboli Island is here shown and discussed to reconstruct an up-to-date morpho-bathymetry and marine geology of the area compared to the volcanologic setting of the Aeolian Arc volcanic complex.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in the harbour of Naples (Southern Italy): time and spatial distribution patterns.

Seventeen parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 38 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls were measured at five different sediment depths (between the surface and ~300 cm below the seafloor) at 160 sites in Naples harbour. Total PAH (ΣPAH) and PCB (ΣPCB) concentrations ranged between 0.012-21.

Heavy metals in benthic foraminifera from the highly polluted sediments of the Naples harbour (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy).

A systematic investigation evaluated the concentrations of a selected number of trace elements (Cd, Co, Cu, Li, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in carbonates of the benthic foraminifera Ammonia tepida collected from surface sediments of the highly polluted harbour of Naples. Application of cleaning procedures, combined with Scanning Electron Microscopy investigation (SEM) of the analysed shells allowed reliable quantification of the elements in the carbonate lattice. Adoption of biogenic carbonate/seawater distribution coefficients reported in the literature provided the ranges of variability of total dissolved trace elements in the studied marine environment.

Utility of benthic foraminifera for biomonitoring of contamination in marine sediments: a case study from the Naples harbour (Southern Italy).

We propose a detailed investigation on the distribution patterns of the benthic foraminiferal assemblage and their predominant species in the highly contaminated marine sediments of the Naples harbour. Combined use of multivariate canonical, cluster and principal component analysis in a proper geostatistic framework provided an appropriate approach to explore the role played by a number of contaminants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, heavy hydrocarbons, PCBs) and different physical parameters (grain size, pH, redox potential, total organic carbon) on the spatial distribution of the benthic foraminiferal assemblage and its single species. Obtained results provide evidence for a high and systematic non-linear response of the biota to the effects of contamination of the different classes of pollutants.

Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in surface sediments of the Naples harbour (southern Italy).

The Naples's harbour is one of the largest and most important commercial and tourist port of the Mediterranean basin. It is located on the southeast coast of Italy and receives industrial and municipal wastewaters from the city of Naples. Due to its social and economic impact, a comprehensive assessment of levels and sources of contamination of bottom sediments in this area of the Mediterranean basin is essential to identify potential danger due to mobilization of contaminants produced by managing of the same sediments.