Conferência de Oportunidade do MARE

Professor Andrew Cundy (University of Brighton)

Laboratório MAREFOZ - Incubadora de Empresas da Figueira da Foz

Parque Industrial e Empresarial da Figueira da Foz

Rua das Acácias Lote 40A, 3090-380 Figueira da Foz

Reconstructing the past, predicting the future: geochemical records of estuarine change

Estuarine sediments provide a valuable geochemical archive, and dated sediment cores have been used to reconstruct records of past environmental and anthropogenic change in a wide range of estuarine settings. Many estuaries are sites of intense anthropogenic activity, and while in a number of geographic areas sedimentary records show a decrease in pollution loading from more traditional contaminants (heavy metals, etc) due to improved management practices, emerging trace contaminants (such as oestrogens, pesticides and pharmaceutical products) are an increasing issue. In

former heavily contaminated areas sediments may also represent an important secondary source of contamination, due to physical, chemical and biological reworking or remobilisation of contaminants. Further, managing the effects of sealevel rise, and balancing the need for coastal protection with preservation of intertidal ecosystems into the future may significantly modify geochemical (and sedimentary) fluxes. This presentation evaluates the use of geochemical and sedimentary records in a range of estuarine settings across Europe to (a) assess recent and contemporary estuarine

change, and anthropogenic pressures, and (b) predict future changes related to managed realignment and other estuarine and coastal management strategies.