We review the major variables that can be used to monitor sediment characteristics and benthic processes in transitional water bodies with respect to ecological significance, cost/time demands, method consensus, and uncertainty of the current techniques. 2. Most of the state variables, namely organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorus contents, are easily determined at low monetary/time cost using standardized techniques. However, they are not sufficiently informative to be used as individual-specific indicators. 3. The speciation analysis of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and reduced sulphur provides much more precise information on the sedimentary buffering capacity. However, analytical techniques are cost/ time expensive and often present some critical step, which biases their generalized application. 4. A good understanding of sedimentary processes can also be achieved by measuring benthic fluxes and process rates, but analytical techniques are too expensive to be applied in conventional monitoring programmes. 5. A tentative integrated index, based on a few low-cost simple measures of sediment characteristics (granulometry, organic matter, carbonates, reactive iron and acid volatile sulphides) is proposed, which, in parallel with the water retention time, could provide a rapid assessment of sediment vulnerability status.

Biogeochemical indicators as tools for assessing sediment quality/vulnerability in transitional aquatic ecosystems / Viaroli, Pierluigi; Bartoli, Marco; Giordani, G.; Magni, P.; Welsh, D. T.. - In: AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS. - ISSN 1052-7613. - 14:(2004), pp. S14-S29. [10.1002/aqc.647]

Biogeochemical indicators as tools for assessing sediment quality/vulnerability in transitional aquatic ecosystems

VIAROLI, Pierluigi;BARTOLI, Marco;
2004-01-01

Abstract

We review the major variables that can be used to monitor sediment characteristics and benthic processes in transitional water bodies with respect to ecological significance, cost/time demands, method consensus, and uncertainty of the current techniques. 2. Most of the state variables, namely organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorus contents, are easily determined at low monetary/time cost using standardized techniques. However, they are not sufficiently informative to be used as individual-specific indicators. 3. The speciation analysis of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and reduced sulphur provides much more precise information on the sedimentary buffering capacity. However, analytical techniques are cost/ time expensive and often present some critical step, which biases their generalized application. 4. A good understanding of sedimentary processes can also be achieved by measuring benthic fluxes and process rates, but analytical techniques are too expensive to be applied in conventional monitoring programmes. 5. A tentative integrated index, based on a few low-cost simple measures of sediment characteristics (granulometry, organic matter, carbonates, reactive iron and acid volatile sulphides) is proposed, which, in parallel with the water retention time, could provide a rapid assessment of sediment vulnerability status.
2004
Biogeochemical indicators as tools for assessing sediment quality/vulnerability in transitional aquatic ecosystems / Viaroli, Pierluigi; Bartoli, Marco; Giordani, G.; Magni, P.; Welsh, D. T.. - In: AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS. - ISSN 1052-7613. - 14:(2004), pp. S14-S29. [10.1002/aqc.647]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/1443595
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