Integrated quality assessment of sediments from harbour areas in Santos-Sao Vicente Estuarine System, Southern Brazil

Santos-Sao Vicente Estuarine System is a highly populated coastal zone in Brazil and where it is located the major port of Latin America. Historically, port activities, industrial and domestic effluents discharges have constituted the main sources of contaminants to estuarine system. This study aimed to assess the recent status of sediment quality from 5 zones of Port of Santos by applying a lines-of-evidence approach through integrating results of: (I) acute toxicity of whole sediment and chronic toxicity of liquid phases; (2) grain size, organic matter, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, linear alkylbenzenes and butyltins; (3) benthic community descriptors. Results revealed a gradient of increasing contamination for metals and organic compounds, alongside with their geochemical carriers. Sediment liquid phases were more toxic compared to whole sediment. Low number of species and individuals indicated the impoverishment of benthic community. the use of sediment quality guidelines was more appropriate to predict sediment toxicity. the integration of results through Sediment Quality Triad approach and principal component analysis allowed observing the effects of natural stressors and dredging on sediment quality and benthic distribution. Even with recent governmental efforts to control, pollution is still relevant in Port of Santos and a threat to local ecosystems. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FUNCAP (Foundation for Research Support of Ceara State)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS)Univ Fed Ceara, Inst Marine Sci, BR-60165081 Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUNESP Paulista State Univ, BR-11330900 Sao Vicente, SP, BrazilFURG Fed Univ Rio Grande, Inst Oceanog, BR-96203900 Rio Grande, RS, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Nucl & Energy Res Inst, BR-05508000 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Oceanog Inst, BR-05508000 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, BR-11030400 Santos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, BR-11030400 Santos, SP, BrazilCAPES: 802-16/2012FAPERGS: 0885/12-1CNPq: 142002/2010-0CNPq: 552299/2010-3CNPq: 314335/2009-9Web of Scienc