RT journal article
T1 Occurrence of priority and emerging organic contaminants in cold-water corals and their habitat: A case study in La Herradura Bay (Spain)
A1 Tovar Salvador, María de la Luz
A1 Ríos Quintero, Rubén
A1 Pintado Herrera, Marina Guadalupe
A1 Palacios Miñambres, Marina
A1 Lara Martín, Pablo Antonio
A2 Química Física
K1 Organic pollutants
K1 Coastal system
K1 Seawater
K1 Sediment
K1 Corals
AB Coastal ecosystems are heavily anthropized areas impacted by discharge of chemical pollutants. We present for the first time the occurrence of a wide number of such chemicals in surface water, sediment, suspended particulate matter, and corals from a protected Mediterranean setting, La Herradura Bay (Spain). A seasonal monitoring sampling campaign was conducted in 2021 (winter and summer). This bay is a marine biodiversity hot spot and home for endangered cold-water corals species (Astroides calycularis and Dendrophyllia ramea). Up to 94 target analytes were present in marine samples, with pharmaceuticals being the predominant compound class (up to 37 ng L−1 in seawater and 775 ng g−1 in sediments), especially during the winter season. Uncontrolled untreated wastewater discharges in combination with hydrodynamics dominating in the area seemed to be the major source of contaminants towards the coral colonies inhabiting the bay, which accumulate pharmaceuticals (up to 154 ng g−1), personal care products (UV filters and synthetic fragrances), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organophosphate flame retardants, showing log BAFs up to 6.6. Such values were slightly higher in D. ramea than A. calycularis, but not statistically significant differences were observed (p-value >0.05). Further research is encouraged to assess possible damage to cold-water coral species exposed to multiple contaminants.
PB ELSEVIER
SN 1879-0291
YR 2025
FD 2025-02
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/34342
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/34342
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 09-nov-2026