Mauro Frignani

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute of Marine Science ISMAR

Analyses of trace metals and organic contaminants (PCBs, PAHs, and PBDEs) were carried out in soils and sediments collected in different areas from the North of Morocco, in the framework of several bilateral projects between the Moroccan CNRST and the Italian CNR. Results indicated a situation of absent or low contamination in lagoons and salt mar...

Dating of sediment cores in dynamic environments (such as tropical coastal lagoons) is often impossible to achieve, due to the difficulty to recover continuous and undisturbed records. Detailed temporal definition of environmental changes cannot be assured, but there is the possibility that information retained in such sediments can still provide u...

Proceedings of the workshop "Environmental Quality in the Province of Bac Giang and the Cau River Basin. Perspectives for the improvement of monitoring activities and methods", Hanoi August 27th, 2013

To obtain information on the overall quality of the environment in the southwestern Bac Giang Province (northern Vietnam) a series of samples was collected from rivers (Cau, Ngu Huyen Khe), rice fields, ponds, puddles and family wells. Samples were characterized by their grain size, and organic matter (organic carbon, total nitrogen, δ 13 C) conten...

Results of the analyses of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, V, and Zn in 30 samples from soils and sediments of the southwestern Bac Giang Province are discussed. Some values are relatively high, sometimes exceeding the Consensus Based Sediment Quality Guidelines (CB-SQGs). This means that minor and trace elements can be a thr...

Analytical methods relative to the determination of contaminants (including PCBs, PBDEs, PAHs, chlorinated pesticides, hydrocarbons, metals and As) in soils and sediments of the southwestern Bac Giang province and the Cau River (northern Vietnam) are presented. In this study, a novel simultaneous analytical method for PCBs, PAHs and PBDEs is presen...

Soils and sediments of the Bac Giang province (Northern Vietnam) have been analysed to determine level, distribution and sources of PAHs. Concentrations are low for the majority of samples and only two sites are above the international guideline that defines the threshold above which adverse effects on biota and humans can be expected. These two si...

A number of considerations about how monitoring should be better focused is presented and discussed. Especially important would be to give more importance to the analysis of contaminants in soils and sediments rather than in waters. Another important issue is the bad condition of family wells, that most likely reflects the problematic quality of gr...

In order to assess the level and quality of environmental legislation, we compared the limits imposed by the Vietnamese regulations with the corresponding Italian ones. The Vietnamese legislation for the environment is at a good level but ameliorations are still possible, especially regarding the setting of quality standards and emission limits for...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, PBDEs, PCDD/Fs together with chlorinated pesticides and hydrocarbons (C>12) were analysed in 30 soil and sediment samples taken from different environments in the southwestern Bac Giang province. In general, PCBs are quite low, whereas PBDEs, excepting the congener 209, were relatively high and cer...

In view of the recent action in Marine Strategy Framework Directive, reconstructing the history of anthropogenic metal inputs and calculating the budgets for the northwestern part of the Italian Adriatic basin can provide a benchmark for comparison with new evidences and enlighten recent environmental changes. Among the metals, the attention was fo...

The history of the Venice Lagoon contamination is presented here, based on sediment records and on information about industrial activities and past management choices. We used polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) as tracers since the relative abundance of their congeners can help in locating their sources. The most importan...

Concentration and distribution of PCBs, PCB 11, and PBDEs in both surficial sediment and soil samples, taken from a zone subject to recent accelerated development, were investigated to assess the environmental quality and understand both natural and anthropogenic processes that influence contaminant behaviors. Values of PCB and PBDE are in the lowe...

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec corresponds to the shortest distance (~200 km) between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean in Southern Mexico, and the main economical activity of this region is oil extraction and refining. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) were determined in a 210Pb dated sediment core...

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in a sediment core from the tropical freshwater inner lagoon of Las Matas, near the petroleum industrial area of Minatitlán-Coatzacoalcos, in the Gulf of Mexico. A 210Pb-derived chronology was used to reconstruct the historical PAH and PCB a...

Assessing pollution levels and trends in heavily impacted environments is important but hardly achievable due to the difficulty of recovering suitable undisturbed sediment records. An integrated approach is here presented to solve this kind of problem. It was adopted in the Augusta Bay (Italy) for the study of Hg historical inputs and present trend...

Sediment cores, obtained in 2004–2005 and in 2008 from seven coastal lagoons of Central Vietnam (Lang Co, Nuoc Man, Nuoc Ngot, Thi Nai, O Loan, Thuy Trieu and Dam Nai), were analysed to assess changes in Pb, porosity, grain size, and depth distributions of selected major and trace elements (Al, As, Ni, and Zn). The aim was to trace sedimentary proc...

After being dramatically hit by war events, Vietnam is presently experiencing a huge economical and social development. However, very few data, relative to pollution levels and trends, are available for the correct management of critical areas such as coastal lagoons, where many economical activities are linked to high value environmental features....

Two deep-sea cores (ANTA95-157 and ANTA98-1) were collected in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean across the present-day position of the Antarctic Polar Front Zone (APFZ) to document paleoenvironmental changes during the last 2.60 Ma. The stratigraphic framework was established using a combination of diatom marker species, Accelerator Mass Sp...

PCBs were analysed in surficial sediments and selected sediment cores collected between 2002 and 2008 in Central Vietnam coastal lagoons. The aim was to determine contamination levels and trends, and to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic pressures and natural events. Samples were mostly fine-grained with low total PCB concentrations (0.367-44.7...

Trace element concentrations have been measured in soil and sediment samples taken from the Thua Thien Hue (TT-H) Province and the Tam Giang-Cau Hai (TG-CH) Lagoon in 2002 and 2004. Results show that the lagoon is only slightly contaminated by elements such as Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, whereas As, probably naturally enriched in this Asian regi...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in two dated salt marsh cores of the Venice Lagoon to assess their input chronology and to evaluate the importance of atmospheric deposition as a source. Sampling sites were chosen in order to evidence the differences between areas located leeward and windward with respect to inputs originating in both...

Samples from nine Central Vietnam coastal lagoons, together with three soils and sediments collected in two freshwater reservoirs of the Thua Thien-Hué province, were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Total concentrations are low, from 192 to 2912 pg g(-1) and depth profiles in Tam Giang-Cau Hai (TG-CH) sed...

Due to its remarkable sediment pollution caused by past industrial activities, the Mediterranean coastal area facing the town of Cogoleto (near Genoa) has been declared of “national interest”. Seven sediment cores were analysed to provide information on history and trend of heavy metal inputs, with a particular focus on Cr. Grain-size compositions...

A Monte Carlo analysis is used to quantify environmental parametric uncertainty in a multi-segment, multi-chemical model of the Venice Lagoon. Scientific knowledge, expert judgment and observational data are used to formulate prior probability distributions that characterize the uncertainty pertaining to 43 environmental system parameters. The prop...

Contaminant loadings to the Venice Lagoon peaked from 1950s-1980s and although they have since declined, contaminant concentrations remain elevated in sediment and seafood. In order to identify the relative importance of contaminant sources, inter-media exchange and removal pathways, a modified 10-segment fugacity/aquivalence-based model was develo...

This paper exemplifies the search for historical information on sources, levels, and trends of anthropogenic metals in a zone that has been subject to the influence of multiple industrial sources. Four cores from the canals of the industrial area and one in the lagoon just outside the industrial zone were studied in order to assess the temporal tre...

The accumulation of PCBs over time was studied in a sediment core collected from Espejo de los Lirios, an ecological reserve located within the heart of Cuatitlan Izcalli, in the Northern part of Mexico City Metropolitan Zone. A 210Pb-derived chronology, was used to reconstruct the historical PCB fluxes to the site during ∼84 yr (1911–95). The high...

210Pb geochronologies of Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb fluxes were obtained from the intertidal mudflat sediments of the coastal lagoons Chiricahueto, Estero de Urías, and Ohuira in the Mexican Pacific. The Cu and Hg sediment concentrations at the three lagoons fell within the ranges of 6–76μg g−1 and 0.1 to 592ng g−1, respectively; Chiricahueto and Estero de...

Ustica is an island relatively far from continental, industrial and urban settlements and it has been designated as a marine protected area with the aim of preserving the natural diversity of flora and fauna of the surrounding sea. In such an environment, the assessment of the levels and origin of persistent organic pollutants such as polycyclic ar...

Anthropogenic trace-metal concentrations and inventories were studied on the Llobregat continental margin, from the Llobregat river mouth to the Foix submarine canyon. A prodelta sedimentary depocentre was identified along with a previously known canyon depocentre. Significant upward increases in trace-metal contents were detected in sediment cores...

A plasma focus is being developed for breeding short-lived radionuclides. The different radiation protection issues and concerns posed by the machine once in operation are analysed and discussed. Activation is shown to be totally negligible and likewise neutron emission is found to pose no concern at all. The only source of radiation risk is found...

(210)Pb-derived sediment accumulation rates, as well as a suite of geochemical proxies (Al, Fe, delta(13)C, delta(15)N), were used to assess the time-dependent variations of C, N, and P fluxes recorded in two sediment cores collected at Ohuira Lagoon, in the Gulf of California, Mexico, during the last 100 years. Sedimentary C, N, and P concentratio...

234Th/238U disequilibrium was studied in the water column during three cruises (March–April 1997) carried out in the framework of the HFF experiment in the Gulf of Lions. The purposes were to investigate short temporal (15–20 days) and spatial (20–50 Km) variations in the water column and to determine export fluxes from the euphotic zone, in relati...

Experiments were carried out during autumn 1998 and spring 1999 at four selected sites in the Venice Lagoon in order to estimate the major bioturbation modes, and for quantitative analysis of the contribution of various taxa to these modes. Fluorescent sediment particles (63–350 μm) were supplied as a tracer pulse input at the sediment surface. Tra...

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 13 surficial sediment samples collected at three lacustrine locations in the surroundings of Mexico City and four coastal areas of the States of Sinaloa, Sonora, Oaxaca and Veracruz. Total PCB concentrations span the interval 3.18–621ngg−...

The Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon, the largest in south east Asia, suffers from a great anthropogenic pressure and appears subject to a process of progressive environmental deterioration. To establish causes, history and trends of lagoon contamination, sediment samples representing three major parts of the systems were sampled and analysed for porosity,...

Five salt marsh sediment cores from different parts of the Venice Lagoon were studied to determine their depositional history and its relationship with the environmental changes occurred during the past approximately 100 years. X-radiographs of the cores show no disturbance related to particle mixing. Accretion rates were calculated using a constan...

L’Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR)-Sede di Bologna coordina da oltre 15 anni progetti multidisciplinari in Antartide, con l’obiettivo di valutare meccanismi ed effetti delle principali variazioni climatiche attraverso lo studio dei cicli biogeochimici dei maggiori elementi presenti nelle acque marine. I progetti sono basati sul fatto che comprend...

A first application of the hydrodynamic model SHYFEM to the Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon in Vietnam is discussed. The model describes all the physical processes that do occur in the lagoon. Water level variations, tide, currents and circulation can be simulated. Furthermore, salinity and temperature dispersion problems can be computed and the river wat...

The Po River and some other minor rivers transport toxic chemicals and nutrients from highly developed lands into the Northern Adriatic Sea. It is a shallow semi-enclosed basin with peculiar hydrodynamics, and the water circulation causes a surprisingly fast renewal of the water. Many pollutants interact with particulate material, mainly silt and c...

This work presents the results of short circuit tests recently conducted on PFMA1 [1], a 150 kJ Mather-type Plasma Focus [2] designed to run at a repetition rate of 1 Hz for two hours at a time. PFMA1 is operated at 30 kV, with a 350 µF capacitor bank of 32 parallel capacitors. It is equipped with a custom designed fast high-voltage capacitive prob...

Land-ocean coupling was investigated for the Adige River-Adriatic Shelf system by analyzing precipitation, water discharge and suspended load records over the period 1922-2000 and by comparing them with the Pb-210(ex) and porosity depth profiles of 4 marine cores taken along the riverborne sediment transport pathway on the shelf. The results show t...

The measurement of the isotope composition of biogenic carbonates is a powerful and widely used tool for paleoclimatic reconstructions. Unfortunately, one of the greatest problems for the practical application of this method is the preservation of the carbonate material in sediments: sometimes, both dissolution and unfavourable ecological condition...

Plasma focus (PF) technology development today is strictly related to the possibility of a high frequency repetitive working regime. One of the more relevant obstacles to this goal is the heating of structural components due to direct interaction with plasma. In this paper, temperature decay measurements of the inner electrode of a 7 kJ Mather type...

The SHYFEM model (developed by the Institute of Marine Science, CNR, Venice, Italy) is a numerical model specialised in simulating contaminant dispersion and hydodynamic processes for shallow water, especially coastal bodies of water with a high precision. Based on the data observed in May 2000 and in Sept. 2005, this model has been applied for the...

The energy spectra of X-rays generated by the impact of electron beams on high- and medium-Z targets following the pinch implosion of Plasma Focus (PF) devices are discussed in terms of the possible mechanisms of X-ray production following electron impact ionization. In addition, the temperature measurement of the PF inner electrode is reported and...

Samples from 18 short sediment cores were analyzed for major and trace metals (Al, Fe, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Si, Ti, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr), 210Pb, 137Cs, total organic carbon, grain size, and mineralogical composition to find the record of major environmental changes, either natural or anthropogenic, and to establish their chronologies. Some sediments a...

To obtain a quantitative estimate of the sediment accumulating on the muddy belt extending along the western Adriatic continental shelf, a budget was calculated based on the mass accumulation rates measured from more than one hundred activity–depth profiles of 210Pb. 137Cs depth-distributions were used, when possible, to support 210Pb results. 210P...

An experimental campaign was conducted to assess the feasibility of short-lived radioisotope (SLR) production within the pulsed discharges of a Plasma Focus (PF) device. This so-called "endogenous production" technique rests on the exploitation of nuclear reactions for the creation of SLR directly within the plasma, rather than on irradiating an ex...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and hexaclorobenzene (HCB) were determined in three sediment cores of the Venice Lagoon: I1, from the San Giuliano Canal that is likely the main source of pollutants for the study area; E, representing the lagoon sediment of the zone of Campalto; and M3, typical of a...

Between 2001 and 2003 a 3.2 kJ dense plasma focus (DPF) device has been built at the Montecuccolino Laboratory of the Department of Energy, Nuclear and Environmental Control Engineering (DIENCA) of the University of Bologna. A DPF is a pulsed device in which deuterium nuclear fusion reactions can be obtained through the pinching effects of electrom...

Coastal sediments from the northern Adriatic Sea were analyzed for 137Cs and 134Cs from the Chernobyl accident to better understand the transport and sedimentation processes in a marine area strongly influenced by the delivery of suspended matter from the Po River. In particular, the suitability of 137Cs as a tool for studying sediment accumulation...

Examples are presented from the Adriatic Sea, the Ligurian Sea and the Venice Lagoon to illustrate different approaches to the study of anthropogenic metals in marine coastal sediments. These examples refer to studies of areal distribution and transport mechanisms, individuation of the sources, sediment dating, chronology of the fluxes, present and...

Sediment cores, collected at seven sites in the Venice Lagoon and within the canals of the industrial area were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in order to assess the chronology of pollution and its present trends. The surficial concentration of PCBs is very high (more than 2049 microg kg(-1)) only in the Brentella Canal, probably due...

Water–particle interactions, particle behaviour and short-time scale variability were assessed at a coastal station adjacent to the Emilia Romagna Region (Adriatic Sea) using dissolved and particulate 234Th analyses. The water column was sampled six times between March and September 1997. Measurements showed that 234Th is actively scavenged by part...

Water–particle interactions, particle behaviour and short-time scale variability were assessed at a coastal station adjacent to the Emilia Romagna Region (Adriatic Sea) using dissolved and particulate 234Th analyses. The water column was sampled six times between March and September 1997. Measurements showed that 234Th is actively scavenged by part...

This paper combines data from a survey on heavy metal contamination of surficial sediments and the analysis of a short sediment core (30 cm) carried out in 1999 and 2001, respectively. Heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) and Al were analysed by AAS after complete dissolution of the samples. Surficial sediments are particularly rich in Cr,...

Analyses of Mn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were carried out in a short core from a salt marsh of the Nador Lagoon (north-eastern Morocco) and in surficial sediment samples collected in the Martil river, which borders the industrial town of Tetouan, Three soil samples and a reservoir sediment were also collected around the town to check the effects of a...

A mooring was deployed in the southem Adriatic basin (1030 m depth) between April 1994 and October 1995. The mooring was equipped with two time-series sediment traps placed at 500 and 35 m above the bottom, respectively. Mass fluxes at both depths are characterised by high variability (26-1577 mg cm$^{-2}$ y$^{-1}$), without a clear seasonal trend....

During the last decade the research project BIOSESO of the Italian National Research Program for Antarctica (PNRA) has collected 13 gravity cores and 3 box-cores along a N-S transect at about 175^oE in the Southern Ocean. In this presentation we discuss the results from 6 sediment cores sampled between 62^oS and 71^oS. This area embraces the Polar...

Short experiments (14–21 days) were carried out during autumn 1998 and spring 1999 at one selected site of the Venice Lagoon to measure bioturbation activities and mixing rates, as well as to obtain quantitative information on benthos functionality. Fluorescent sediment particles (luminophores, 63–350 μm) were introduced as pulse inputs at the sedi...

Flux data from moored sediment trap experiments and mass accumulation rates in sediments were obtained for three sites in the Ross Sea which are currently studied for the formation and transit of High Salinity Shelf Water and Ice Shelf Water. These two data sets were compared to obtain inferences on the coupling between water column processes and s...

Three sediment cores were collected in the Venice Lagoon: two from mud flats (E, F) and one from the San Giuliano Canal (I1), which borders the industrial district. Samples were analysed for the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) listed as priority pollutants by the U.S. EPA. Sediment chronologies were established using both 137Cs and 210Pb...

Three sediment cores were collected in the Venice Lagoon: two from mud flats (E, F) and one from the San Giuliano Canal (Il), which borders the industrial district. Samples were analysed for the 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) listed as priority pollutants by the U.S. EPA. Sediment chronologies were established using both 137Cs and 210Pb...

[NB - the updated pollen diagram and palynological description of this core is reported in Mercuri et al. 2012 - A marine/terrestrial integration... on Vegetation history and Archaeobotany] A multi-proxy study of a Holocene sediment core (RF 93-30) from the western flank of the central Adriatic, in 77 m of water, reveals a sequence of changes in t...

To better understand the particle exchange processes across the Pyrenean continental margin, sampling was conducted in 1994 and 1995 at stations in and near the Lacaze-Duthiers canyon in the northwestern Mediterranean. Moored current meters provide evidence of water transport along the canyon axis (cross-slope) and along-slope with the prevailing r...