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Updated: May 8, 2026
10:44
Clean Sampling and Analysis of River and Estuarine Waters for Trace Metal Studies
Published on: July 1, 2016
Integrated study of metal behavior in Mediterranean stream ecosystems: a case-study
Neus Roig1, Jordi Sierra, Jesús D Ortiz
1Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain; Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Sant Llorenç 21, 43201 Reus, Catalonia, Spain.
Journal of Hazardous Materials
|August 22, 2013
Summary
This study assessed the Francolí river
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
- Aquatic Ecology
Background:
- Mediterranean streams face diverse human impacts.
- Assessing ecosystem health requires integrated approaches.
- Metal contamination is a key environmental concern in freshwater systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the ecosystem status of the Francolí river.
- To analyze metal contamination and bioavailability in water and sediments.
- To assess aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and ecotoxicity.
Main Methods:
- Combined physicochemical, biological, and ecotoxicological analyses.
- Quantified metals in water, sediments, and macroinvertebrates.
- Utilized Diffusive Gradient in Thin-films (DGTs), sequential extraction (BCR), Microtox® assay, and acid-volatile sulfide (AVS)/simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) analysis.
Main Results:
- DGTs and BCR effectively predict metal bioavailability.
- Microtox® assay with Vibrio fischeri indicated ecotoxicity.
- Aquatic macroinvertebrate communities reflected biological quality.
Conclusions:
- Integrated assessment provides a comprehensive diagnosis of freshwater ecosystems.
- Metal bioavailability assessment methods (DGTs, BCR) are reliable.
- Ecotoxicity testing (V. fischeri) complements chemical and biological data for effective environmental monitoring.
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