Baseline assessment of metal and microplastic pollution in sediments of a small‑sized harbor in western Baltic Sea (Kalmar, Sweden)Show others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research, ISSN 0944-1344, E-ISSN 1614-7499Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Sustainable development
SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Abstract [en]
This study provides a baseline analysis of sediment pollution in Kalmar Guest Harbor, Sweden, focusing on metals and microplastics. The study site, a bustling coastal area, was chosen to investigate the connections between anthropogenic activities, bioturbation, and environmental contaminants. The results revealed that the pollution extends beyond 30 cm of depth below the seafloor, with elevated levels of copper (Cu), tungsten (W), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and microplastics. Significantly, there is no previous publication alarming the W contamination in the Baltic Sea sediment, and therefore, our findings highlight the need for further investigation into tungsten contamination in the region. Furthermore, we explored the distribution patterns, potential sources and relationships of different contaminants. The K-means cluster analysis revealed that bioturbation is speculated to influences the depth concentration of pollutants, particularly at shallow depths (0–18 cm). Metal contaminants do not appear to be predominantly bound to MP particles.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature, 2025.
Keywords [en]
Metal, Microplastic, Baltic Sea, Harbor, Sediment, Pollution
National Category
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences
Research subject
Natural Science, Environmental Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-138832DOI: 10.1007/s11356-025-36509-xPubMedID: 40402371Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105006582852OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-138832DiVA, id: diva2:1960191
2025-05-222025-05-222025-12-08