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Trace element contamination status of surface marine sediments of Greece: an assessment based on two decades (2001–2021) of data

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Abstract

This study is a first attempt to assess the trace element contamination status in the surface sediments of the Hellenic Seas since the first environmental studies in the country commenced in the mid-1970s. All available trace element data from the last 20 years have been collected and assessed using sediment quality guidelines and application of single- and multielement pollution indices. Although Hellenic marine sediments initially appear as anthropogenically enriched in Cr and As, this enrichment is attributed to the natural background. Central Greece appears more polluted, followed by Northern Greece and lastly Southern Greece. The element pollution indices featured the influence of industrial activities such as mining, steel industry and chemical factories, shipyards, and secondarily the influence of port activities.

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All data assembled and analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary files).

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Acknowledgements

Part of the data of Northern Aegean Sea was acquired in the frame of the “YPOTHER” Project realized at the Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration; the project’s chief scientists Dr. C. Ioakeim and Dr. I. Zananiri are gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank our colleagues and pioneers of elemental geochemistry studies in Greece Dr. Anagnostou Ch, Prof. Angelidis M, Prof. Dassenakis M, Prof. Scoullos M, Dr. Sioulas A, Dr. Voutsinou F, and Dr. Zeri Ch.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens-Sounio Ave., Attica, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece

    Theodore D. Kanellopoulos, Helen Kaberi, Vasilios Kapsimalis & Aristomenis P. Karageorgis

  2. Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens-Sounio Ave., Attica, 19013, Anavyssos, Greece

    Natalia Kapetanaki, Ioannis Karaouzas & Angeliki Mentzafou

  3. Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15785, Athens, Greece

    Fotini Botsou

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  1. Theodore D. Kanellopoulos
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  2. Natalia Kapetanaki
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  4. Fotini Botsou
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  7. Vasilios Kapsimalis
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  8. Aristomenis P. Karageorgis
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Contributions

Conceptualization and design, ThDK and IK; methodology, ThDK, IK, and NK; data collection and statistical analysis, ThDK and NK; writing – original draft preparation, ThDK and NK; draft review and editing, IK, FB, AM, HK, VK, and APK; all authors gave final approval for article submission.

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Correspondence to Theodore D. Kanellopoulos.

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Kanellopoulos, T.D., Kapetanaki, N., Karaouzas, I. et al. Trace element contamination status of surface marine sediments of Greece: an assessment based on two decades (2001–2021) of data. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 45171–45189 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20224-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20224-y

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