Beach wracks microbiome and its putative function in plastic polluted Mediterranean marine ecosystem.

The coasts of the world's oceans and seas accumulate various types of floating debris, commonly known as beach wracks, including organic seaweeds, seagrass, and ubiquitous anthropogenic waste, mainly plastic. Beach wrack microbiome (MB), surviving in the form of a biofilm, ensures decomposition and remineralization of wracks, but can also serve as a vector of potential pathogens in the environment. Through the interdisciplinary approach and comprehensive sampling design that includes geological analysis of the sediment, plastic debris composition analysis (ATR-FTIR) and application of 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding of beach wrack MBs, this study aims to describe MB in relation to beach exposure, sediment type and plastic pollution.

Correlation of metals and degraded marine (micro)plastic litter in geologically similar coastal areas with different anthropogenic characteristics.

The association and statistical correlation of anthropogenically important trace metals (TM) Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and degraded marine microplastic (MP) extracted from the bulk debris samples at two locations from two marine systems, estuarine and coastal, in the Croatian Adriatic coastal area were assessed. The abundance of MP particles at both sites were primarily defined by local wave climate, with the open coastal site containing 9-fold more microplastic particles (>4 mm) as compared to the semi-closed estuarine, or twice as much considering bulk plastics. Generally, the higher abundance of adsorbed metal on MP were observed in the more anthropogenically influenced estuary than in the open coastal site and followed the order: polystyrene > polypropylene > low density polyethylene.

Assessing trace metal contamination and organic matter in the brackish lakes as the major source of potable water.

On small and medium karstic coastal islands in the Adriatic Sea, brackish lakes are often the only source of freshwater. Therefore, it is important to adequately evaluate the biogeochemical processes occurring in these complex water systems, as well as to determine the origin of contaminants present. In this study, the distribution and origin of trace metals (Tl, Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co) and organic matter in the water column, sediment, and surrounding soil of the brackish lakes on Mljet Island, South Adriatic Sea, Croatia, were evaluated.

Heavy metal contents in water, sediment and fish in a karst aquatic ecosystem of the Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia).

An evaluation of the quality status of the pristine karst, tufa depositing aquatic environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park based on the analysis of heavy (ecotoxic) metals was examined for the first time. Analyses of trace metals in water, sediment and fish (Salmo trutta, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Squalius cephalus) samples were conducted either by stripping voltammetry (Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu) or cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (Hg). The concentration of dissolved trace metals in water was very low revealing a pristine aquatic environment (averages were, in ng/L: 258 (Zn), 10.

A comparison of anthropogenic mercury pollution in Kastela Bay (Croatia) with pristine estuaries in Ore (Sweden) and Krka (Croatia).

Anthropogenic mercury pollution was studied in Kastela Bay (Croatia), 10 years after chloralkaline plant (PVC) stopped production. The concentration of total mercury determined in sediments which are composed mainly of calcite and quartz, are in the range 14,280-30,400 ng/g. The values are higher than reported in the literature for Elbe and Seine estuaries and also above 25,000 ng/g used for criterion in remediation project in Minamata Bay.